THE  DAY 
F  THE  DO 


tor 


CVTCHEON 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Geoxgefiaix^CuicKeoii 

<rf  Graiisf art' 


HarrisonR.sjfier 

and  decoxaiions 


Published  March,  1904 


SWALLOW   (IN    COLOR) 


.     .     .      Frontispiece 

PAGE 

CROSBY    DRIVES    TO   THE    STATION 9 

THE    HANDS    HAD   GONE    TO   THEIR    DINNER      .      .       14 

THE    BIG    RED    BARN l8 

THE  TWO   BOYS 27 

MRS.    DELANCY   AND   MRS.    AUSTIN       ...  -34 

MR.    AUSTIN 41 

MRS.    DELANCY   PLEADS   WITH    SWALLOW      ...      48 

THEY    EXAMINE    THE    DOCUMENTS 53 

"SHE    DELIBERATELY     SPREAD     OUT     THE     PAPERS 

ON  THE  BEAM"  (IN  COLOR)  .    .    .    Facing    56 


64 
72 
76 


SWALLOW 

SHE  WATCHES  HIM  DESCEND  INTO  DANGER   . 

MR.  CROSBY  SHOWS  SWALLOW  A  NEW  TRICK  . 

"SWALLOW'S    CHUBBY    BODY    SHOT    SQUARELY 

THROUGH     THE     OPENING"      (iN     COLOR) 

Facing    80 

THE   MAN    WITH   THE  LANTERN 87 

MR.     HIGGINS 94 


1522545 


PAGE 
"HE    WAS    SPLASHING   THROUGH    THE    SHALLOW 

BROOK"    (IN    COLOR) Facing    96 

HE   CARRIES    HER   OVER   THE   BROOK 

MRS.     HIGGINS      .      . 

THEY  ENJOY   MRS.   HIGGINS's  GOOD  SUPPER 

LONESOMEVILLE    . 

THE     DEPUTY     SHERIFF      .... 

CROSBY    AND    THE    DEPUTY 

MRS.    DELANCY   FALLS    ASLEEP   . 

THEY  GO  TO  THE   THEATRE  .... 

"'GOOD   HEAVENS!'    'WHAT  is  IT?'   HE  CRIED. 

'YOU       ARE       NOT       MARRIED,       ARE      YOU?'" 
(IN      COLOR)  pacing    j^ 

"CROSBY  WON  BOTH  SUITS" I37 


•  97 
98 
101 
105 
123 
129 
133 

134 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 


PART  I 


"I'LL  catch  the  first  train  back  this  even 
ing,  Graves.  Wouldn't  go  down  there  if  it 
were  not  absolutely  necessary;  but  I  have 
just  heard  that  Mrs.  Delancy  is  to  leave  for 
New  York  to-night,  and  if  I  don't  see  her 
to-day  there  will  be  a  pack  of  troublesome 
complications.  Tell  Mrs.  Graves  she  can 
count  me  in  on  the  box  party  to-night." 

"We'll  need  you,  Crosby.  Don't  miss 
the  train." 


10      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

"I'll  be  at  the  station  an  hour  before  the 
train  leaves.  Confound  it,  it's  a  mean  trip 
down  there — three  hours  through  the  rank 
est  kind  of  scenery  and  three  hours  back. 
She's  visiting  in  the  country,  too,  but  I  can 
drive  out  and  back  in  an  hour." 

"On  your  life,  old  man,  don't  fail  me." 

"Don't  worry,  Graves;  all  Christendom 
couldn't  keep  me  in  Dexter  after  four 
o'clock  this  afternoon.  Good-by."  And 
Crosby  climbed  into  the  hansom  and  was 
driven  away  at  breakneck  speed  toward  the 
station. 

Crosby  was  the  junior  member  of  the  law 
firm  of  Rolfe  &  Crosby,  and  his  trip  to  the 
country  was  on  business  connected  with  the 
settlement  of  a  big  estate.  Mrs.  Delancy, 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      11 

widow  of  a  son  of  the  decedent,  was  one  of 
the  legatees,  and  she  was  visiting  her  sister- 
in-law,  Mrs.  Robert  Austin,  in  central 
Illinois.  Mr.  Austin  owned  extensive  farm 
ing  interests  near  Dexter,  and  his  hand 
some  home  was  less  than  two  miles  from  the 
heart  of  the  town.  Crosby  anticipated  no 
trouble  in  driving  to  the  house  and  back  in 
time  to  catch  the  afternoon  train  for 
Chicago.  It  was  necessary  for  Mrs.  De- 
lancy  to  sign  certain  papers,  and  he  was 
confident  the  transaction  could  not  occupy 
more  than  half  an  hour's  time. 

At  11 :30  Crosby  stepped  from  the  coach 
to  the  station  platform  in  Dexter,  looked 
inquiringly  about,  and  then  asked  a  per 
spiring  man  with  a  star  on  his  suspender- 


12      THE   DAY   OF  THE   DOG 

strap  where  he  could  hire  a  horse  and  buggy. 
The  officer  directed  him  to  a  "feed-yard  and 
stable,"  but  observed  that  there  was  a 
"funeral  in  town  an'  he'd  be  lucky  if  he  got 
a  rig,  as  all  of  Smith's  horses  were  out." 
Application  at  the  stable  brought  the  first 
frown  to  Crosby's  brow.  He  could  not  rent 
a  "rig"  until  after  the  funeral,  and  that 
would  make  it  too  late  for  him  to  catch  the 
four  o'clock  train  for  Chicago.  To  make 
the  story  short,  twelve  o'clock  saw  him 
trudging  along  the  dusty  road  covering 
the  two  miles  between  town  and  Austin's 
place,  and  he  was  walking  with  the  rapidity 
of  one  who  has  no  love  for  the  beautiful. 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      13 

The  early  spring  air  was  invigorating,  and 
it  did  not  take  him  long  to  reduce  the  dis 
tance.  Austin's  house  stood  on  a  hill,  far 
back  from  the  highway,  and  overlooking 
the  entire  country-side. 

The  big  red  barn  stood  in  from  the  road 
a  hundred  yards  or  more,  and  he  saw  that 
the  same  driveway  led  to  the  house  on  the 
hill.  There  was  no  time  for  speculation,  so 
he  hastily  made  his  way  up  the  lane.  Cros 
by  had  never  seen  his  client,  their  business 
having  been  conducted  by  mail  or  through 
Mr.  Rolfe.  There  was  not  a  person  in 
sight,  and  he  slowed  his  progress  considera 
bly,  as  he  drew  nearer  the  big  house.  At 


14      THE   DAY  OP  THE   DOG 

the  barn-yard  gate  he  came  to  a  full  stop 
and  debated  within  himself  the  wisdom  of 
inquiring  at  the  stables  for  Mr.  Austin. 

He  flung  open  the  gate  and  strode 
quickly  to  the  door.  This  he  opened  boldly 
and  stepped  inside,  finding  himself  in  a 
lofty  carriage  room.  Several  handsome 
vehicles  stood  at  the  far  end,  but  the  wide 
space  near  the  door  was  clear.  The  floor 
was  as  "clean  as  a  pin,"  except  along  the 
west  side.  No  one  was  in  sight,  and  the 
only  sound  was  that  produced  by  the  horses 
as  they  munched  their  hay  and  stamped 
their  hoofs  in  impatient  remonstrance  with 
the  flies. 

"Where  the  deuce  are  the  people?"  he 


DAY  OP  THE  DOG 


muttered  as  he  crossed  to  the  mangers. 
"Devilish  queer,"  glancing  about  in  con 
siderable  doubt.  "The  hands  must  be  at 
dinner  or  taking  a  nap."  He  passed  by  a 
row  of  mangers  and  was  calmly  inspected 
by  brown-eyed  horses.  At  the  end  of  the 
long  row  of  stalls  he  found  a  little  gate 
opening  into  another  section  of  the  barn. 
He  was  on  the  point  of  opening  this  gate 
to  pass  in  among  the  horses  when  a  low 
growl  attracted  his  attention.  In  some 
alarm  he  took  a  precautionary  look  ahead. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  gate  stood  a 
huge  and  vicious  looking  bulldog,  un 
chained  and  waiting  for  him  with  an  eager 
ferocity  that  could  not  be  mistaken.  Mr. 
Crosby  did  not  open  the  gate.  Instead  he 


16      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

inspected  it  to  see  that  it  was  securely 
fastened,  and  then  drew  his  hand  across  his 
brow. 

"What  an  escape!"  he  gasped,  after  a 
long  breath.  "Lucky  for  me  you  growled, 
old  boy.  My  name  is  Crosby,  my  dear  sir, 
and  I'm  not  here  to  steal  anything.  I'm 
only  a  lawyer.  Anybody  else  at  home  but 
you?" 

An  ominous  growl  was  the  answer,  and 
there  was  lurid  disappointment  in  the  face 
of  the  squat  figure  beyond  the  gate. 

"Come,  now,  old  chap,  don't  be  nasty. 
I  won't  hurt  you.  There  Avas  nothing  far 
ther  from  my  mind  than  a  desire  to  disturb 
you.  And  say,  please  do  something  besides 
growl.  Bark,  and  oblige  me.  You  may 
attract  the  attention  of  some  one." 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      17 


By  this  time  the  ugly  brute  was  trying 
to  get  at  the  man,  growling,  and  snarling 
savagely.  Crosby  complacently  looked  on 
from  his  place  of  safety  for  a  moment,  and 
was  on  the  point  of  turning  away  when  his 
attention  was  caught  by  a  new  move  on  the 
part  of  the  dog.  The  animal  ceased  his 
violent  efforts  to  get  through  the  gate, 
turned  about  deliberately,  and  raced  from 
view  behind  the  horse  stalls.  Crosby 
brought  himself  up  with  a  jerk. 

"Thunder,"  he  ejaculated;  "the  brute 
knows  a  way  to  get  at  me,  and  he  won't  be 
long  about  it,  either.  What  the  dickens 
shall  I — by  George,  this  looks  serious 
He'll  head  me  off  at  the  door  if  I  try  to  get 
out  and — Ah,  the  fire-escape!  We'll  fool 
you,  you  brute !  What  a  cursed  idiot  I  was 


18      THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

not  to  go  to  the  house  instead  of  coming — " 
He  was  shinning  up  a  ladder  with  little  re 
gard  for  grace  as  he  mumbled  this  self- 
condemnatory  remark.  There  was  little 
dignity  in  his  manner  of  flight,  and  there 
was  certainly  no  glory  in  the  position  in 
which  he  found  himself  a  moment  later. 
But  there  was  a  vast  amount  of  satisfac 
tion. 

The  ladder  rested  against  a  beam  that 
crossed  the  carriage  shed  near  the  middle. 
The  beam  was  a  large  one,  hewn  from  a 
monster  tree,  and  was  free  on  all  sides.  The 
ladder  had  evidently  been  left  there  by  men 
who  had  used  it  recently  and  had  neglected 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      19 

to  return  it  to  the  hooks  on  which  it  prop 
erly  hung. 

When  the  dog  rushed  violently  through 
the  door  and  into  the  carriage  room,  he 
found  a  vast  and  inexplicable  solitude.  He 
was,  to  all  appearances,  alone  with  the  vehi 
cles  under  which  he  was  permitted  to  trot 
when  his  master  felt  inclined  to  grant  the 
privilege. 

Crosby,  seated  on  the  beam,  fifteen  feet 
above  the  floor,  grinned  securely  but  some 
what  dubiously  as  he  watched  the  mystified 
dog  below.  At  last  he  laughed  aloud.  He 
could  not  help  it.  The  enemy  glanced  up 
ward  and  blinked  his  red  eyes  in  surprise; 
then  he  stared  in  deep  chagrin,  then  glared 


20      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

with  rage.  For  a  few  minutes  Crosby 
watched  his  frantic  efforts  to  leap  through 
fifteen  feet  of  altitudinal  space,  confidently 
hoping  that  some  one  would  come  to  drive 
the  brute  away  and  liberate  him.  Finally 
he  began  to  lose  the  good  humor  his  strat 
egy  in  fooling  the  dog  had  inspired,  and  a 
hurt,  indignant  stare  was  directed  toward 
the  open  door  through  which  he  had 
entered. 

"What's  the  matter  with  the  idiots?"  he 
growled  impatiently.  "Are  they  going  to 
let  this  poor  dog  snarl  his  lungs  out?  He's 
a  faithful  chap,  too,  and  a  willing  worker. 
Gad,  I  never  saw  anything  more  earnest 
than  the  way  he  tries  to  climb  up  that  lad 
der."  Adjusting  himself  in  a  comfortable 
position,  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  his  hands 
to  his  chin,  he  allowed  his  feet  to  swing 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      21 

lazily,  tantalizingly,  below  the  beam.  "I'm 
putting  a  good  deal  of  faith  in  this  beam," 
he  went  on  resignedly.  The  timber  was  at 
least  fifteen  inches  square. 

"Ah,   by    George!      That   was   a  bully 
jump— the  best  you've  made.     You  didn't 
miss  me  more  than  ten  feet  that  time.      I 
don't  like  to  be  disrespectful,  you  know,  but 
you  are  an  exceedingly  rough  looking  dog. 
Don't  get  huffy  about  it,  old  fellow,  but 
you  have  the    ugliest    mouth    I  ever    saw. 
Yes,  you  miserable  cur,  politeness  at  last 
ceases  to  be  a  virtue  with  me.    If  I  had  you 
up  here  I'd  punch  your  face  for  you,  too. 
.Why  don't    you    come    up,    you    coward? 
You're  bow-legged,  too,  and  you    haven't 
any  more  figure  than    a  crab.      Anybody 
that  would  take  an  insult  like  that  is  be 
neath  me  (thank  heaven!)  and  would  steal 


22      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

sheep.  Great  Scott!  Where  are  all  these 
people?  Shut  up,  you  brute,  you!  I'm 
getting  a  headache.  But  it  doesn't  do  any 
good  to  reason  with  you,  I  can  see  that 
plainly.  The  thing  I  ought  to  do  is  to  go 
down  there  and  punish  you  severely.  But 

I'll— Hello !  Hey,  boy !  Call  off  this 

confounded  dog." 

Two  small  Lord  Fauntleroy  boys  were 
standing  in  the  door,  gazing  up  at  him 
with  wide  open  mouths  and  bulging  eyes. 

"Call  him  off,  I  say,  or  I'll  come  down 
there  and  kick  a  hole  clear  through  him." 
The  boys  stared  all  the  harder.  "Is  your 
name  Austin?"  he  demanded,  addressing 
neither  in  particular. 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      23 

"Yes,  sir,'5  answered  the  larger  boy, 
with  an  effort. 

"Well,  where's  your  father?  Shut  up, 
you  brute !  Can't  you  see  I'm  talking  ?  Go 
tell  your  father  I  want  to  see  him,  boy." 

"Dad's  up  at  the  house." 

"That  sounds  encouraging.  Can't  you 
call  off  this  dog?" 

"I— I  guess  I'd  better  not.  That's  what 
dad  keeps  him  for." 

"Oh,  he  does,  eh?  And  what  is  it  that 
he  keeps  him  for?" 

"To  watch  tramps." 

"To  watch — to  watch  tramps?  Say, 
boy,  I'm  a  lawyer  and  I'm  here  on  busi- 


24      THE   DAY   OF  THE   DOG 

ness."  He  was  black  in  the  face  with  in 
dignation. 

"You  better  come  up  to  the  house  and 
see  dad,  then.  He  don't  live  in  the  barn," 
said  the  boy  keenly. 

"I  can't  fly  to  the  house,  boy.  Say,  if 
you  don't  call  off  this  dog  I'll  put  a  bullet 
through  him.'* 

"You'd  have  to  be  a  purty  good  shot, 
mister.  Nearly  everybody  in  the  county 
has  tried  to  do  it."  Both  boys  were  grin 
ning  diabolically  and  the  dog  took  on  en 
ergy  through  inspiration.  Crosby  longed 
for  a  stick  of  dynamite. 

'I'll  give  you  a  dollar  if  you  get  him 
away  from  here." 

'Let's  see  your  dollar."     Crosby  drew  a 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      25 


silver  dollar  from  his  trousers  pocket, 
almost  falling  from  his  perch  in  the 
effort. 

"Here's  the  coin.  Call  him  off,"  gasped 
the  lawyer. 

"I'm  afraid  papa  wouldn't  like  it,"  said 
the  boy.  The  smaller  lad  nudged  his 
brother  and  urged  him  to  "take  the  money 
anyhow." 

"I  live  in  Chicago,"  Crosby  began,  hop 
ing  to  impress  the  boys  at  least. 

"So  do  we  when  we're  at  home,"  said  the 
smaller  boy.  "We  live  in  Chicago  in  the 
winter  time." 

•"Is  Mrs.  Delancy  your  aunt?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"I'll  give  you  this  dollar  if  you'll  tell 


26      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

your  father  I'm  here  and  want  to  see  him 
at  once." 

"Throw  down  your  dollar."  The  coin 
fell  at  their  feet  but  rolled  deliberately 
through  a  crack  in  the  floor  and  was  lost 
forever.  Crosby  muttered  something  unin 
telligible,  but  resignedly  threw  a  second 
coin  after  the  first. 

"He'll  be  out  when  he  gets  through  din 
ner,"  said  the  older  boy,  just  before  the 
fight.  Two  minutes  later  he  was  streaking 
across  the  barn  lot  with  the  coin  in  his 
pocket,  the  smaller  boy  wailing  under  the 
woe  of  a  bloody  nose.  For  half  an  hour 
Crosby  heaped  insult  after  insult  upon  the 


THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG      27 

glowering  dog  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder 
and  was  in  the  midst  of  a  rabid  denuncia 
tion  of  Austin  when  the  city-bred  farmer 
entered  the  barn. 

"Am  I  addressing  Mr.  Robert  Austin?" 
called  Crosby,  suddenly  amiable.  The  dog 
subsided  and  ran  to  his  master's  side.  Aus 
tin,  a  black-moustached,  sallow-faced  man 
of  forty,  stopped  near  the  door  and  looked 
aloft,  squinting. 

"Where  are  you?"  he  asked  somewhat 
sharply. 

"I  am  very  much  up  in  the  air,"  replied 
Crosby.  "Look  a  little  sou'  by  sou'east. 
Ah,  now  you  have  me.  Can  you  manage 
the  dog  ?  If  so,  I'll  come  down." 


28      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

"One  moment,  please.    Who  are  you?" 

"My  name  is  Crosby,  of  Rolfe  &  Crosby, 
Chicago.  I  am  here  to  see  Mrs.  Delancy, 
your  sister-in-law,  on  business  before  she 
leaves  for  New  York." 

"What  is  your  business  with  her,  may  I 
ask?" 

"Private,"  said  Crosby  laconically. 
"Hold  the  dog." 

"I  insist  in  knowing  the  nature  of  your 
business,"  said  Austin  firmly. 

"I'd  rather  come  down  there  and  talk,  if 
you  don't  mind." 

"I  don't  but  the  dog  may,"  said  the 
other  grimly. 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      29 

"Well,  this  is  a  nice  way  to  treat  a  gen 
tleman,"  cried  Crosby  wrathfully. 

"A  gentleman  would  scarcely  have  ex 
pected  to  find  a  lady  in  the  barn,  much  less 
on  a  cross-beam.  This  is  where  my  horses 
and  dogs  live." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right  now ;  this  isn't  a 
joke,  you  know." 

"I  quite  agree  with  you.  What  is  your 
business  with  Mrs.  Delancy?" 

"We  represent  her  late  husband's  inter 
ests  in  settling  up  the  estate  of  his  father. 
Your  wife's  interests  are  being  looked  after 
by  Morton  &  Rogers,  I  believe.  I  am  here 
^o.  have  Mrs.  Delancy  go  through  the  form 


30      THE   DAY   OF  THE   DOG 

of  signing  papers  authorizing  us  to  bring 
suit  against  the  estate  in  order  to  establish 
certain  rights  of  which  you  are  fully  aware. 
Your  wife's  brother  left  his  affairs  slightly 
tangled,  you  remember." 

"Well,  I  can  save  you  a  good  deal  of 
trouble.  Mrs.  Delancy  has  decided  to  let 
the  matter  rest  as  it  is  and  to  accept  the 
compromise  terms  offered  by  the  other  heirs. 
She  will  not  care  to  see  you,  for  she  has  just 
written  to  your  firm  announcing  her  deci 
sion. 

"You — you  don't  mean  it,"  exclaimed 
Crosby  in  dismay.  He  saw  a  prodigious  fee 
slipping  through  his  fingers.  "Gad,  I  must 
see  her  about  this,"  he  went  on,  starting 
down  the  ladder,  only  to  go  back  again 


THE  DAY  OF  THE   DOC      31 

hastily.  The  growling  dog  leaped  forward 
and  stood  ready  to  receive  him.  Austin 
chuckled  audibly. 

"She  really  can't  see  you,  Mr.  Crosby. 
Mrs.  Delancy  leaves  at  four  o'clock  for 
Chicago,  where  she  takes  the  Michigan  Cen 
tral  for  New  York  to-night.  You  can  gain 
nothing  by  seeing  her." 

"But  I  insist,  sir,"  exploded  Crosby. 

"You  may  come  down  when  you  like," 
said  Austin.  "The  dog  will  be  here  until  I 
return  from  the  depot  after  driving  her 
over.  Come  down  when  you  like." 

Crosby  did  not  utter  the  threat  that 
s.urged  to  his  lips.  With  the  wisdom  born 
of  self-preservation,  he  temporized,  reserv 
ing  deep  down  in  the  surging  young  breast 


32      THE    DAY   OF   THE    DOG 

a  promise  to  amply  recompense  his  pride 
for  the  blows  it  was  receiving  at  the  hands 
of  the  detestable  Mr.  Austin. 

"You'll  admit  that  I'm  in  a  devil  of  a 
pickle,  Mr.  Austin,"  he  said  jovially.  "The 
dog  is  not  at  all  friendly." 

"He  is  at  least  diverting.  You  won't  be 
lonesome  while  I'm  away.  I'll  tell  Mrs. 
Delancy  that  you  called,"  said  Austin  iron 
ically. 

He  turned  to  leave  the  barn,  and  the  sin 
ister  sneer  on  his  face  gave  Crosby  a  new 
and  amazing  inspiration.  Like  a  flash 
there  rushed  into  his  mind  the  belief  that 
Austin  had  a  deep  laid  design  in  not  per- 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      33 

mitting  him  to  see  the  lady.  With  this 
belief  also  came  the  conviction  that  he  was 
hurrying  her  off  to  New  York  on  some 
pretext  simply  to  forestall  any  action  that 
might  induce  her  to  continue  the  contem 
plated  suit  against  the  estate.  Mrs.  De- 
lancy  had  undoubtedly  been  urged  to  drop 
the  matter  under  pressure  of  promises,  and 
the  Austins  were  getting  her  away  from  the 
scene  of  action  before  she  could  reconsider 
or  before  her  solicitors  could  convince  her 
of  the  mistake  she  was  making.  The 
thought  of  this  sent  the  fire  of  resentment 
racing  through  Crosby's  brain,  and  he  fair 
ly  gasped  with  the  longing  to  get  at  the 


34      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

bottom  of  the  case.  His  only  hope  now  lay 
in  sending  a  telegram  to  Mr.  Rolfe,  com 
manding  him  to  meet  Mrs.  Delancy  when 
her  train  reached  Chicago,  and  to  lay  the 
whole  matter  before  her. 

Before  Austin  could  make  his  exit  the 
voices  of  women  were  heard  outside  the  door 
and  an  instant  later  two  ladies  entered.  The 
farmer  attempted  to  turn  them  back,  but 
the  younger,  taller,  and  slighter  of  the  new 
comers  cried: 

"I  just  couldn't  go  without  another  look 
at  the  horses,  Bob." 

Crosby,  on  the  beam,  did  not  fail  to  ob 
serve  the  rich,  tender  tone  of  the  voice,  and 
it  would  have  required  almost  total  dark 
ness  to  obscure  the  beauty  of  her  face.  Her 
companion  was  older  and  coarser,  and  he 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      35 

found  delight  in  the  belief  that  she  was  the 
better  half  of  the  disagreeable  Mr.  Austin. 

"Good-afternoon,  Mrs.  Delancy!"  came 
a  fine  masculine  voice  from  nowhere.  The 
ladies  started  in  amazement,  Mr.  Austin 
ground  his  teeth,  the  dog  took  another  tired 
leap  upward;  Mr.  Crosby  took  off  his  hat 
gallantly,  and  waited  patiently  for  the 
lady  to  discover  his  whereabouts. 

"Who  is  it,  Bob  ?"  cried  the  tall  one,  and 
Crosby  patted  his  bump  of  shrewdness 
happily.  "Who  have  you  in  hiding  here?" 

"I'm  not  in  hiding,  Mrs.  Delancy.  I'm 
a  prisoner,  that's  all.  I'm  right  near  the 
top  of  the  ladder  directly  in  front  of  you. 
You  know  me  only  through  the  mails,  but 
my  partner,  Mr.  Rolf e,  is  known  to  you  per 
sonally.  My  name  is  Crosby." 

"How  very  strange,"  she  cried  in  won- 


36      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

der.     "Why    don't   you    come   down,   Mr. 
Crosby?" 

"I  hate  to  admit  it,  but  I'm  afraid. 
There's  the  dog,  you  know.  Have  you  any 
influence  over  him  ?" 

"None  whatever.  He  hates  me.  Per 
haps  Mr.  Austin  can  manage  him.  Oh, 
isn't  it  ludicrous?"  and  she  burst  into 
hearty  laughter.  It  was  a  very  musical 
laugh,  but  Crosby  considered  it  a  disagree 
able  croak. 

"But  Mr.  Austin  declines  to  interfere.  I 
came  to  see  you  on  private  business  and  am 
not  permitted  to  do  so." 

"We  don't  know  this  fellow,  Louise,  and 
I  can't  allow  you  to  talk  to  him,"  said 
Austin  brusquely.  "I  found  him  where  he 
is  and  there  he  stays  until  the  marshal 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      37 


comes  out  from  town.  His  actions  have 
been  very  suspicious  and  must  be  investi 
gated.  I  can't  take  chances  on  letting  a 
horse  thief  escape.  Swallow  will  watch  him 
until  I  can  secure  assistance." 

"I  implore  you,  Mrs.  Delancy,  to  give 
me  a  moment  or  two  in  which  to  explain," 
cried  Crosby.  "He  knows  I'm  not  here  to 
steal  his  horses,  and  he  knows  I  intend  to 
punch  his  head  the  minute  I  get  the 
chance."  Mrs.  Austin's  little  shriek  of  dis 
may  and  her  husband's  fierce  glare  did  not 
check  the  flow  of  language  from  the  beam. 
"I  am  Crosby  of  Rolfe  &  Crosby,  your 
counsel.  I  have  the  papers  here  for  you  to 
sign  and — 

"Louise,  I  insist  that  you  come  away 
from  here.  This  fellow  is  a  fraud " 


38      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

"He's  refreshing,  at  any  rate,"  said  Mrs. 
Delancy  gaily.  "There  can  be  no  harm  in 
hearing  what  he  has  to  say,  Bob." 

"You  are  very  kind,  and  I  won't  detain 
you  long." 

"I've  a  mind  to  kick  you  out  of  this 
barn,"  cried  Austin  angrily. 

I  don't  believe  you're  tall  enough,  my 
good  fellow."  Mr.  Crosby  was  more  than 
amiable.  He  was  positively  genial.  Mrs. 
Delancy's  pretty  face  was  the  picture  of 
eager,  excited  mirth,  and  he  saw  that  she 
was  determined  to  see  the  comedy  to  the  end. 
"Louise !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Austin,  speak 
ing  for  the  first  time.  "You  are  not  fool 
enough  to  credit  this  fellow's  story,  I'm 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      39 

sure.  Come  to  the  house  at  once.  I  will  not 
stay  here."  Mrs.  Austin's  voice  was  hard 
and  biting,  and  Crosby  also  caught  the 
quick  glance  that  passed  between  husband 
and  wife. 

"I  am  sure  Mrs.  Delancy  will  not  be  so 
unkind  as  to  leave  me  after  I've  had  so  much 
trouble  in  getting  an  audience.  Here  is  my 
card,  Mrs.  Delancy."  Crosby  tossed  a  card 
from  his  perch,  but  Swallow  gobbled  it  up 
instantly.  Mrs.  Delancy  gave  a  little  cry 
of  disappointment,  and  Crosby  promptly 
apologized  for  the  dog's  greediness.  "Mr. 
Austin  knows  I'm  Crosby,"  he  concluded. 

"I  know  nothing  of  the  sort,  sir,  and  I 
forbid  Mrs.  Delancy  holding  further  con- 


40      THE    DAY   OF   THE    DOG 


versation  with  you.  This  is  an  outrageous 
imposition,  Louise.  You  must  hurry,  by 
the  way,  or  we'll  miss  the  train,"  said 
Austin,  biting  his  lip  impatiently. 

"That  reminds  me,  I  also  take  the  four 
o'clock  train  for  Chicago,  Mrs.  Delancey. 
If  you  prefer,  we  can  talk  over  our  affairs 
on  the  train  instead  of  here.  I'll  confess 
this  isn't  a  very  dignified  manner  in  which 
to  hold  a  consultation,"  said  Crosby  apolo 
getically. 

"Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  state  the 
nature  of  your  business,  Mr.  Crosby?"  said 
the  young  woman,  ignoring  Mr.  Austin. 

"Then  you  believe  I'm  Crosby?"  cried 
that  gentleman  triumphantly. 

"Louise!"  cried  Mrs.  Austin  in  despair. 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      41 

"In  spite  of  your  present  occupation,  I 
believe  you  are  Crosby,"  said  Mrs.  Delancy 
merrily. 

"But,  good  gracious,  I  can't  talk  busi 
ness  with  you  from  this  confounded  beam," 
he  cried  lugubriously. 

"Mr.  Austin  will  call  the  dog  away,"  she 
said  confidently,  turning  to  the  man  in  the 
door.  Austin's  sallow  face  lighted  with  a 
sudden  malicious  grin,  and  there  was  posi 
tive  joy  in  his  voice. 

"You  may  be  satisfied,  but  I  am  not.  If 
you  desire  to  transact  business  with  this 
impertinent  stranger,  Mrs.  Delancy,  you'll 
have  to  do  so  under  existing  conditions.  I 
do  not  approve  of  him  or  his  methods,  and 
my  dog  doesn't  either.  You  can  trust  a 


42      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

dog  for  knowing  a  man  for  what  he  is. 
Mrs.  Austin  and  I  are  going  to  the  house. 
You  may  remain,  of  course ;  I  have  no  right 
to  command  you  to  follow.  When  you  are 
ready  to  drive  to  the  station,  please  come  to 
the  house.  I'll  be  ready.  Your  Mr.  Crosby 
may  leave  when  he  likes — if  he  can.  Come, 
Elizabeth."  With  this  defiant  thrust,  Mr. 
Austin  stalked  from  the  barn,  followed  by 
his  wife.  Mrs.  Delancy  started  to  follow 
but  checked  herself  immediately,  a  flush  of 
anger  mounting  to  her  brow.  After  a  long 
pause  she  spoke. 

"I  don't  understand  how  you  came  to  be 
where  you  are,  Mr.  Crosby,"  she  said 
slowly.  He  related  his  experiences  rapidly 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      43 

and  laughed  with  her  simply  because  she 
had  a  way  with  her. 

"You'll  pardon  me  for  laughing,"  she 
giggled. 

"With  all  my  heart,"  he  replied  gal 
lantly.  "It  must  be  very  funny.  How 
ever,  this  is  not  business.  You  are  in  a 
hurry  to  get  away  from  here  and — I'm  not, 
it  seems.  Briefly,  Mrs.  Delancy,  I  have  the 
papers  you  are  to  sign  before  we  begin  your 
action  against  the  Fairwater  estate.  You 
know  what  they  are  through  Mr.  Rolfe." 

"Well,  I'm  sorry,  Mr.  Crosby,  to  say  to 
you  that  I  have  decided  to  abandon  the  mat 
ter.  A  satisfactory  compromise  is  under 
way." 


44      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

"So  I've  been  told.  But  are  you  sure  you 
understand  yourself?" 

"Perfectly,  thank  you." 

"This  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  place  from 
which  to  argue  my  case,  Mrs.  Delancy. 
Can't  you  dispose  of  the  dog?" 

"Only  God  disposes." 

"Well,  do  3  ou  mind  telling  me  what  the 
compromise  provides?"  She  stared  at  him 
for  a  moment  haughtily,  but  his  smile  won 
the  point  for  him.  She  told  him  everything 
and  then  looked  very  much  displeased  when 
he  swore  distinctly. 

"Pardon  me,  but  you  are  getting  very 
much  the  worst  of  it  in  this  deal.  It  is  the 
most  contemptible  scheme  to  rob  that  I  ever 
heard  of.  I3y  this  arrangement  you  are  to 


THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG      45 

get  farming  lands  and  building  lots  in  rural 
towns  worth  in  all  about  $100,000,  I'd  say. 
Don't  you  know  that  you  are  entitled  to 
nearly  half  a  million?" 

"Oh,  dear,  no.  By  right,  my  share  is 
less  than  $75,000,"  she  cried  triumphantly. 

"Who  told  you  so?"  he  demanded,  and 
she  saw  a  very  heavy  frown  on  his  erstwhile 
merry  face. 

"Why — why,  Mr.  Austin  and  another 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Gray,  both  of  whom  are 
very  kind  to  me  in  the  matter,  I'm  sure." 

"Mrs.  Delancy,  you  are  being  robbed  by 
these  fellows.  Can't  you  see  that  these 
brothers-in-law  and  their  wives  will  profit 
immensely  if  they  succeed  in  keeping  the 
wool  over  your  eyes  long  enough?  Let  me 


46      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

show  you  some  figures."  He  excitedly 
drew  a  packet  of  papers  from  his  pocket 
and  in  five  minutes'  time  had  her  gasping 
with  the  knowledge  that  she  was  legally 
entitled  to  more  than  half  a  million  of 
dollars. 

"Are  you  sure?"  she  cried,  unable  to  be 
lieve  her  ears. 

"Absolutely.  Here  is  the  inventory  and 
here  are  the  figures  to  corroborate  every 
thing  I  say." 

"But  they  had  figures,  too,"  she  cried  in 
perplexity. 

"Certainly.  Figures  are  wonderful 
things.  I  only  ask  you  to  defer  this  plan 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      47 

to  compromise  until  we  are  able  to  thor 
oughly  convince  you  that  I  am  not  mis 
representing  the  facts  to  you." 

"Oh,  if  I  could  only  believe  you  1" 

"I'd  toss  the  documents  down  to  you  if 
I  were  not  afraid  they'd  join  my  card. 
That  is  a  terribly  ravenous  beast.  Surely 
you  can  coax  him  out  of  the  barn,"  he  added 
eagerly. 

"I  can  try,  but  persuasion  is  difficult  with 
a  bulldog,  you  know,"  she  said  doubtfully. 
"It  is  much  easier  to  persuade  a  man,"  she 
smiled. 

"I  trust  you  won't  try  to  persuade  me  to 
'  come  down,"  he  said  in  alarm. 


48      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 


"Mr.  Austin  is  a  brute  to  treat  you  in 
this  manner,"  she  cried  indignantly. 

"I  wouldn't  treat  a  dog  as  he  is  treating 
me." 

"Oh,  I  am  sure  you  couldn't,"  she  cried 
in  perfect  sincerity.  "Swallow  doesn't  like 
me,  but  I'll  try  to  get  him  away.  You  can't 
stay  up  there  all  night." 

"By  Jove  I"  he  exclaimed  sharply. 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked  quickly. 

"I  had  forgotten  an  engagement  in  Chi 
cago  for  to-night.  Box  party  at  the 
comic  opera,"  he  said,  looking  nervously  at 
his  watch. 

"It  would  be  too  bad  if  you  missed  it," 
she  said  sweetly.  "You'd  be  much  more 
comfortable  in  a  box." 


1'Lr.A.n.V  WITH   SWA.Ll.OVvr  : 


THE    DAY   OF   THE   DOG      49 


"You  are  consoling  at  least.  Are  you 
going  to  coax  him  off?" 

"In  behalf  of  the  box  party,  I'll  try. 
Come,  Swallow.  There's  a  nice  doggie !" 

Crosby  watched  the  proceedings  with 
deepest  interest  and  concern  and  not  a  little 
admiration.  But  not  only  did  Swallow  re 
fuse  to  abdicate  but  he  seemed  to  take  de 
cided  exceptions  to  the  feminine  method  of 
appeal.  He  evidently  did  not  like  to  be 
called  "doggie,"  "pet,"  "dearie,"  and  all 
such. 

"He  won't  come,"  she  cried  plaintively. 

"I  have  it!"  he  exclaimed,  his  face 
brightening.  "Will  you  hand  me  that 
three-tined  pitchfork  over  there?  With 
that  in  my  hands  I'll  make  Swallow  see — 
Look  out !  For  heaven's  sake,  don't  go  near 


50      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

him !  He'll  kill  you."  She  had  taken  two 
or  three  steps  toward  the  dog,  her  hand  ex 
tended  pleadingly,  only  to  be  met  by  an 
ominous  growl,  a  fine  display  of  teeth,  and 
a  bristling  back.  As  if  paralyzed,  she 
halted  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  terror  sud 
denly  taking  possession  of  her. 

"Can  you  get  the  pitchfork?" 

"I  am  afraid  to  move,"  she  moaned.  "He 
is  horrible — horrible !" 

"I'll  come  down,  Mrs.  Delancy,  and  hang 
the  consequences,"  Crosby  cried,  and  was 
suiting  the  action  to  the  word  when  she 
cried  out  in  remonstrance. 

"Don't  come  down— don't!  He'll  kill 
you.  I  forbid  you  to  come  down,  Mr. 
Crosby.  Look  at  him!  Oh,  he's  coming 
toward  me!  Don't  come  down!"  she 
shrieked.  "I'll  come  up!" 


THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG      51 

Grasping  her  skirts  with  one  hand  she 
started  frantically  up  the  ladder,  her  terri 
fied  eyes  looking  into  the  face  of  the  man 
above.  There  was  a  vicious  snarl  from  the 
dog,  a  savage  lunge,  and  then  something 
closed  over  her  arm  like  a  vice.  She  felt 
herself  being  jerked  upward  and  a  second 
later  she  was  on  the  beam  beside  the  flushed 
young  man  whose  strong  hand  and  not  the 
dog's  jaws  had  reached  her  first.  He  was 
obliged  to  support  her  for  a  few  minutes 
with  one  of  his  emphatic  arms,  so  near  was 
she  to  fainting. 

"Oh,"  she  gasped  at  last,  looking  into  hii 
eyes  questioningly.  "Did  he  bite  me?  I 
was  not  sure,  you  know.  He  gave  such  an 
awful  leap  for  me.  How  did  you  do  it?" 

"A  simple  twist  of  the  wrist,  as  the 
prestidigitators  say.  You  had  a  close  call, 
my  dear  Mrs.  Delancy."  He  was  a-quiver 


52      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 


with  new  sensations  that  were  sending  his 
spirits  sky  high.  After  all  it  was  not  turn 
ing  out  so  badly. 

"He  would  have  dragged  me  down  had 
it  not  been  for  you.  And  I  might  have  been 
torn  to  pieces,"  she  shuddered,  glancing 
down  at  the  now  infuriated  dog. 

"It  would  have  been  appalling,"  he 
agreed,  discreetly  allowing  her  to  imagine 
the  worst. 

"How  can  I  ever  thank  you?"  cried  she 
impulsively.  He  made  a  very  creditable 
show  of  embarrassment  in  the  effort  to  con 
vince  her  that  he  had  accomplished  only 
what  any  man  would  have  attempted  under 
similar  circumstances.  She  was  thoroughly 
convinced  that  no  other  man  could  have  suc 
ceeded. 


THE    DAY   OF   THE   DOG      53 


"Well,  we're  in  a  pretty  position,  are  we 
not?"  he  asked  in  the  end. 

"I  think  I  can  stick  on  without  being 
held,  Mr.  Crosby,"  she  said,  and  his  arm 
slowly  and  regretfully  came  to  parade 
rest. 

"Are  you  sure  you  won't  get  dizzy?"  he 
demanded  in  deep  solicitude. 

"I'll  not  look  down,"  she  said,  smiling 
into  his  eyes.  He  lost  the  power  of  speech 
for  a  moment.  "May  I  look  at  those  fig 
ures  now?" 

For  the  next  ten  minutes  she  studiously 
followed  him  as  he  explained  the  contents 
of  the  various  papers.  She  held  the  sheets 
and  they  sat  very  close  to  each  other  on  the 
big  beam.  The  dog  looked  on  in  sour  dis 
gust. 

"They  cannot  be  wrong,"  she  cried  at 


54      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

last.     Her  eyes  were  sparkling.     "You  are 
as  good  as  an  angel." 

"I  only  regret  that  I  can't  complete  the 
illusion  by  unfolding  a  strong  and  conve 
nient  pair  of  wings,"  he  said  dolorously. 
"How  are  we  to  catch  that  train  for  Chi 
cago  ?" 

"I'm  afraid  we  can't,"  she  said  demurely. 
"You'll  miss  the  box  party." 

"That's  a  pleasure  easily  sacrificed." 

"Besides,  you  are  seeing  me  on  business. 
Pleasure  should  never  interfere  with  busi 
ness,  you  know." 

"It  doesn't  seem  to,"  he  said,  and  the 
dog  saw  them  smile  tranquilly  into  each 
other's  eyes. 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      55 

"Oh,  isn't  this  too  funny  for  words?" 
He  looked  very  grateful. 

"I  wonder  when  Austin  will  condescend  to 
release  us." 

"I  have  come  to  a  decision,  Mr.  Crosby," 
she  said  irrelevantly. 

"Indeed?" 

"I  shall  never  speak  to  Robert  Austin 
again,  and  I'll  never  enter  his  house  as  long 
as  I  live,"  she  announced  determinedly. 

"Good!  But  you  forget  your  personal 
effects.  They  are  in  his  house."  He  was 
overflowing  with  happiness. 

"They  have  all  gone  to  the  depot  and  I 
have  the  baggage  checks.  My  ticket  and 


56      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

my  money  are  in  this  purse.  You  see,  we 
are  quite  on  the  same  footing." 

"I  don't  feel  sure  of  my  footing,"  he 
commented  ruefully.  "By  the  way,  I  have 
a  fountain  pen.  Would  you  mind  signing 
these  papers?  We'll  be  quite  sure  of  our 
standing  at  least." 

She  deliberately  spread  out  the  papers  on 
the  beam,  and,  while  he  obligingly  kept  her 
from  falling,  signed  seven  documents  in  a 
full,  decisive  hand:  "Louise  Hampton 
Delancv." 

"There!  That  means  that  you  are  to 
begin  suit,"  she  said  finally,  handing  the 
pen  to  him. 

"I'll    not    waste    an    instant,"  he    said 


SHE    DELIBERATELY    SPREAD    OUT    THE    PAPERS    ON    THE 
BEAM." 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      57 


meaningly.  "In  fact,  the  suit  is  already 
under  way." 

"I  don't  understand  you,"  she  said,  but 
she  flushed. 

"That's  what  a  lawyer  says  when  he  goes 
to  court,"  he  explained. 

"Oh,"  she  said,  thoroughly  convinced. 

At  the  end  of  another  hour  the  two  on 
the  beam  were  looking  at  each  other  with 
troubled  eyes.  When  he  glanced  at  his 
watch  at  six  o'clock,  his  face  was  extremely 
sober.  There  was  a  tired,  wistful  expres 
sion  in  her  eyes. 

"Do  you  think  they'll  keep  us  here  all 
night?"  she  asked  plaintively. 


58      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

"Heaven  knows  what  that  scoundrel  will 
do." 

"We  have  the  papers  signed,  at  any 
rate."  She  sighed,  trying  to  revive  the 
dying  spark  of  humor. 

"And  we  won't  be  lonesome,"  he  added, 
glaring  at  the  dog. 

"Did  you  ever  dream  that  a  man  could  be 
so  despicable?" 

"Ah,  here  comes  some  one  at  last,"  he 
cried,  brightening  up. 

The  figure  of  Robert  Austin  appeared 
in  the  doorway. 

"Oho,  you're  both  up  there  now,  are 
you?"  he  snapped.  "That's  why  you 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      59 

didn't  go  to  the  depot,  is  it?     Well,  how 
has  the  business  progressed?" 

"She  has  signed  all  the  papers,  if  that'' 
what  you  want  to  know,"  said  Crosby  tan 
talizingly. 

"That's  all  the  good  it  will  do  her.  We'll 
beat  you  in  court,  Mr.  Crosby,  and  we  won't 
leave  a  dollar  for  you,  my  dear  sister-in- 
law,"  snarled  Austin,  his  face  white  with 
rage. 

"And  now  that  we've  settled  our  business, 
and  missed  our  train,  perhaps  you'll  call  off 
your  confounded  dog,"  said  Crosby. 
Austin's  face  broke  into  a  wide  grin,  and  he 
chuckled  aloud.  Then  he  leaned  against 
the  door-post  and  held  his  sides. 


60      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

"What's  the  joke?"  demanded  the  irate 
Crosby.  Mrs.  Delancy  clasped  his  arm  and 
looked  down  upon  Austin  as  if  he  had  sud 
denly  gone  mad. 

"You  want  to  come  down,  eh?"  cackled 
Austin.  "Why  don't  you  come  down?  I 
know  you'll  pardon  my  laughter,  but  I  have 
just  remembered  that  you  may  be  a  horse 
thief  and  that  I  was  not  going  to  let  you 
escape.  Mrs.  Delancy  refuses  to  speak 
to  me,  so  I  decline  to  ask  her  to  come 
down." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  you'll  keep  this 
lady  up  here  for —  "  began  Crosby  fiercely. 
Her  hand  on  his  arm  prevented  him  from 
leaping  to  the  floor. 

"She  may  come  down  when  she  desires, 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      61 

and  so  may  you,  sir,"  roared  Austin 
stormily. 

"But  some  one  will  release  us,  curse  you, 
and  then  I'll  make  you  sorry  you  ever 
lived,"  hissed  Crosby.  "You  are  a  black 
hearted  cur,  a  cowardly  dog " 

"Don't — don't !"  whispered  the  timid 
woman  beside  him. 

"You  are  helping  your  cause  beauti 
fully,"  sneered  Austin.  "My  men  have  in 
structions  to  stay  away  from  the  barn  until 
the  marshal  comes.  I,  myself,  expect  to 
feed  and  bed  the  horses." 

Deliberately  he  went  about  the  task  of 
feeding  the  horses.  The  two  on  the  beam 
looked  on  in  helpless  silence.  Crosby  had 
murder  in  his  heart.  At  last  the 


62      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

master  of  the  situation  started  for  the 
door. 

"Good-night,"  he  said  sarcastically. 
"Pleasant  dreams." 

"You  brute,"  cried  Crosby,  hoarse  with 
anger.  A  sob  came  from  his  tired  com 
panion  and  Crosby  turned  to  her,  his  heart 
full  of  tenderness  and — shame,  perhaps. 
Tears  were  streaming  down  her  cheeks  and 
her  shoulders  drooped  dejectedly. 

"What  shall  we  do?"  she  moaned. 
Crosby  could  frame  no  answer.  He  gently 
took  her  hand  in  his  and  held  it  tightly. 
She  made  no  effort  to  withdraw  it. 

"I'm    awfully    sorry,"    he    said    softly. 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      63 

"Don't  cry,  little  woman.     It  will  all  end 
right,  I  know." 

Just  then  Austin  reentered  the  barn. 
Without  a  word  he  strode  over  and  emptied 
a  pan  of  raw  meat  on  the  floor  in  front  of 
the  dog.  Then  he  calmly  departed,  but 
Crosby  could  have  sworn  he  heard  him 
chuckle.  The  captives  looked  at  each  other 
dumbly  for  a  full  minute,  one  with  wet, 
wide-open,  hurt  eyes,  the  other  with  con 
sternation.  Gradually  the  sober  light  in 
their  eyes  faded  away  and  feeble  smiles  de 
veloped  into  peals  of  laughter.  The  irony 
of  the  situation  bore  down  upon  them  irre 
sistibly  and  their  genuine,  healthy  young 


64      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

minds  saw  the  picture  in  all  of  its  ludicrous 
colorings.  Not  even  the  prospect  of  a 
night  in  mid-air  could  conquer  the  wild  de 
sire  to  laugh. 

"Isn't  it  too  funny  for  words?"  she 
laughed  bravely  through  her  tears. 

Then,  for  some  reason,  both  relapsed  into 
dark,  silent  contemplation  of  the  dog  who 
was  so  calmly  enjoying  his  evening  repast. 

"I  am  sorry  to  admit  it,  Mr.  Crosby,  but 
I  am  growing  frightfully  hungry,"  she 
said  wistfully. 

"It  has  just  occurred  to  me  that  I  haven't 
eaten  a  bite  since  seven  o'clock  this  morn 
ing,"  he  said. 

"You  poor  man !  I  wish  I  could  cook 
something  for  you." 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      65 

"You  might  learn." 

"You  know  what  I  mean,"  she  explained, 
reddening  a  bit.  ,  "You  must  be  nearly 
famished." 

"I  prefer  to  think  of  something  more  in 
teresting,"  he  said  coolly. 

"It  is  horrid!"  she  sobbed.  "See,  it  is 
getting  dark.  Night  is  coming.  Mr. 
Crosby,  what  is  to  become  of  us  ?"  He  was 
very  much  distressed  by  her  tears  and  a  des 
perate  resolve  took  root  in  his  breast.  She 
was  so  tired  and  dispirited  that  she  seemed 
glad  when  he  drew  her  close  to  him  and 
pressed  her  head  upon  his  shoulder.  He 
heard  the  long  sigh  of  relief  and  relaxation 
and  she  peered  curiously  over  her  wet  lace 
handkerchief  when  he  muttered  tenderly: 


66      THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

"Poor  little  chap !" 

Then  she  sighed  again  quite  securely, 
and  there  was  a  long  silence,  broken  regu 
larly  and  rhythmically  by  the  faint  little 
catches  that  once  were  tearful  sobs. 

"Oh,  dear  me!  It  is  quite  dark,"  she 
cried  suddenly,  and  he  felt  a  shudder  run 
through  her  body. 

"Where  could  you  go  to-night,  Mrs. 
Delancy,  if  we  were  to  succeed  in  getting 
away  from  here?"  he  asked  abruptly. 
She  felt  his  figure  straighten  and  his  arm 
grow  tense  as  if  a  sudden  determination  had 
charged  through  it. 

"Why — why,  I  hadn't  thought  about 
that,"  she  confessed,  confronted  by  a  new 
proposition. 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      67 

"There's  a  late  night  train  for  Chicago," 
he  volunteered. 

"But  how  are  we  to  catch  it?" 

"If  you  are  willing  to  walk  to  town  I 
think  you  can  catch  it,"  he  said,  a  strange 
ring  in  his  voice. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  demanded, 
looking  up  at  his  face  quickly. 

"Can  you  walk  the  two  miles?"  he  per 
sisted.  "The  train  leaves  Dexter  at  eleven 
o'clock  and  it  is  now  nearly  eight." 

"Of  course  I  can  walk  it,"  she  said 
eagerly.  "I  could  walk  a  hundred  miles  to 
get  away  from  this  place." 

"You'll  miss    the    New    York    train,  of 

course." 

"I've  changed  my  mind,  Mr.  Crosby.    I 


68      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

shall  remain  in  Chicago  until  we  have  had 
our  revenge  on  Austin  and  the  others." 

"That's  very  good  of  you.  May  I  ask 
where  you  stop  in  Chicago?" 

"My  apartments  are  in  the  C 

Building.  My  mother  lives  with  me." 

"Will  you  come  to  see  me  some  time?"  he 
asked,  an  odd  smile  on  his  lips. 

"Come  to  see  you?"  she  cried  in  surprise. 
"The  idea!  What  do  you  mean?" 

"I  may  not  be  able  to  call  on  you  for 
some  time,  but  you  can  be  very  good  to  me 
by  coming  to  see  me.  I'll  be  stopping  at 
St.  Luke's  Hospital  for  quite  a  while." 

"At  St.  Luke's  Hospital?  I  don't  under 
stand,"  she  cried  perplexed. 

"You  see,  my  dear  Mrs.  Delancy,  I  have 
come  to  a  definite  conclusion  in  regard  to 
our  present  position.  You  must  not  stay 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      69 

here  all  night.  I'd  be  a  coward  and  a  cur  to 
subject  you  to  such  a  thing.  Well,  I'm 
going  down  to  tackle  that  dog." 

"To — tackle — the — dog,"    she     gasped. 

"And  while  I'm  keeping  him  busy 
you  are  to  cut  and  run  for  the  road  down 
there.  Then  you'll  have  easy  sailing  for 
town." 

"Mr.  Crosby,"  she  said  firmly,  clasping 
his  arm;  "you  are  not  to  leave  this  beam. 
Do  you  think  I'll  permit  you  to  go  down 
there  and  be  torn  to  pieces  by  that  beast, 
just  for  the  sake  of  letting  me  cut  and  run, 
as  you  call  it?  I'd  be  a  bigger  brute  than 
the  dog  and — and — 

"Mrs.  Deiancy,  my  mind  is  made  up. 
I'm  going  down !" 

"That  settles  it!  I'm  coming  too,"  she 
proclaimed  emphatically. 


70      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

"To  be  sure.  That's  the  plan.  You'll 
escape  while  I  hold  Swallow." 

"I'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  You  shall 
not  sacrifice  yourself  for  my  sake.  I'd  stay 
up  here  with  you  all  the  rest  of  my  life 
before  I'd  permit  you  to  do  that." 

"I'll  remind  you  of  that  offer  later  on, 
my  dear  Mrs.  Delancy,  when  we  are  not 
so  pressed  for  time.  Just  now  you  must 
be  practical,  however.  We  can't  stay  up 
here  all  night." 

"Please,  Mr.  Crosby,  for  my  sake,  don't 
go  down  there.  To  please  me,  don't  be  dis 
figured.  I  know  you  are  awfully  brave  and 
strong,  but  he  is  such  a  huge,  vicious  dog. 
Won't  you  please  stay  here?" 

"Ten  minutes  from  now  it  will  be  too 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      71 


dark  to  see  the  dog  and  he'll  have  an  ad 
vantage  over  me.  Listen :  I'll  meet  you  at 
the  depot  in  an  hour  and  a  half.  This  is 
final,  Mrs.  Delancy.  Will  you  do  as  I  tell 
you?  Run  for  the  road  and  then  to  town. 
I'll  promise  to  join  you  there." 

"Oh,  dear!  Oh,  dear!"  she  moaned,  as 
he  drew  away  from  her  and  swung  one  foot 
to  the  ladder.  "I  shall  die  if  you  go  down 
there." 

"I  am  going  just  the  same.  Don't  be 
afraid,  little  woman.  My  pocket  knife  is 
open  and  it  is  a  trusty  blade.  Now,  be 
brave  and  be  quick.  Follow  me  down  the 
ladder  and  cut  for  it." 

"Please,  please,  please!"  she  implored, 
wringing  her  hands. 


72      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

But  he  was  already  half-way  down  the 
ladder  and  refused  to  stop. 

Suddenly  Crosby  paused  as  if  checked 
in  his  progress  by  some  insurmountable  ob 
stacle.  The  dog  was  at  the  foot  of  the  lad 
der,  snarling  with  joy  over  the  prospective 
end  of  his  long  vigil.  Above,  Mrs.  Delancy 
was  moaning  and  imploring  him  to  come 
back  to  her  side,  even  threatening  to  spring 
from  the  beam  to  the  floor  before  he  could 
reach  the  bottom. 

"By  George!"  he  exclaimed,  and  then 
climbed  up  three  or  four  rounds  of  the  lad 
der,  greatly  to  the  annoyance  of  the  dog. 


SHE,  WATCHES   HIAV    »E.SCEKI>    INTO 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      73 

"What  is  it?"  cried  Mrs.  Dclancy,  re 
covering  her  balance  on  the  beam. 

"Let  me  think  for  a  minute,"  he  an 
swered,  deliberately  resting  his  elbow  on  an 
upper  round. 

"It  is  about  time  you  were  doing  a  little 
thinking,"  she  said,  relief  and  asperity  in 
her  voice.  "In  another  second  I  should  have 
jumped  into  that  dog's  jaws." 

"I  believe  it  can  be  done,"  he  went  on,  ex 
cited  enthusiasm  growing  in  his  voice. 
"That's  what  bulldogs  are  famous  for,  isn't 
it?" 

"I  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about,  but  I  do  know  that  whenever  they 
take  hold  of  anything  they  have  to  be 


74      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

treated  for  lockjaw  before  they  will  let  go. 
If  you  don't  come  up  here  beside  me  I'll 
have  a  fit,  Mr.  Crosby." 

"That's  it — that's  what  I  mean,"  he 
cried  eagerly.  "If  they  close  those  jaws 
upon  anything  they  won't  let  go  until  death 
them  doth  part.  Gad,  I  believe  I  see  a  way 
out  of  this  pickle." 

"I  don't  see  how  that  can  help  us.  The 
dog's  jaws  are  the  one  and  only  obstacle, 
and  it  is  usually  the  other  fellow's  death 
that  parts  them.  Oh,"  she  went  on,  plain 
tively,  "if  we  could  only  pull  his  teeth. 
Good  heaven,  Mr.  Crosby,"  sitting  up  very 
abruptly,  "you  are  not  thinking  of  under 
taking  it,  are  you?" 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      75 

"No,  but  I've  got  a  scheme  that  will  make 
Swallow  ashamed  of  himself  to  the  end  of 
his  days.  I  can't  help  laughing  over  it." 
He  leaned  back  and  laughed  heartily. 
"Hold  my  coat,  please."  He  removed  his 
coat  quickly  and  passed  it  up  to  her. 

"I  insist  on  knowing  what  you  intend  do 
ing,"  she  exclaimed. 

"Just  wait  and  see  me  show  Mr.  Swallow 
a  new  trick  or  two."  He  had  already  taken 
his  watch  and  chain,  his  fountain  pen,  and 
other  effects  from  his  vest,  jamming  them 
into  his  trousers  pockets.  Mrs.  Delancy,  in 
the  growing  darkness,  looked  on,  puzzled 
arid  anxious. 

"You  might  tell  me,"  she  argued  resent- 


76      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

fully.  "Arc  you  going  to  try  to  swim 
out?" 

Folding  the  vest  lengthwise,  he  took  a 
firm  grip  on  the  collar,  and  cautiously  de 
scended  the  ladder. 

"I'll  not  come  to  the  hospital,"  she  cried 
warningly.  "Don't!  he'll  bite  your  leg 
off!" 

"I'm  merely  teasing  him,  Mrs.  Delancy. 
He  sha'n't  harm  my  legs,  don't  fear.  Now 
watch  for  developments."  Pausing  just 
beyond  reach  of  the  dog's  mightiest  leaps, 
he  took  a  firm  hold  on  the  ladder  and  swung 
down  with  the  vest  until  it  almost  slapped 
the  head  of  the  angry  animal.  It  was  like 
casting  a  fly  directly  at  the  head  of  a  hun- 


AR,  CROSBY  SHOWA  SWALLOVVf 
NEW    TRJCK -=s^S\ 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      77 

gry  pickerel.  Swallow's  eager  jaws  closed 
down  upon  the  cloth  and  the  teeth  met  like 
a  vice.  The  heavy  body  of  the  brute  almost 
jerked  Crosby's  arm  from  the  socket,  but 
he  braced  himself,  recovered  his  poise,  and 
clung  gaily  to  the  ladder,  with  the  growl 
ing,  squirming  dog  dangling  free  of  the 
floor.  Mrs.  Delancy  gave  a  little  shriek  of 
terror. 

"Are  you — going  to  bring  him  up  here?" 
she  gasped. 

"Heaven  knows  where  he'll  end." 

"But  he  will  ruin  your  vest." 

"I'll  charge  it  up  to  your  account.  Item : 
one  vest,  fifteen  dollars." 


78      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

By  this  time  he  was  swinging  Swallow 
slowly  back  and  forth,  and  he  afterwards 
said  that  it  required  no  little  straining  of 
his  muscles. 

"You  extravagant  thing !"  she  cried,  but 
did  not  tell  whether  she  meant  his  profligacy 
in  purchasing  or  his  wantonness  in  destroy 
ing.  "And  now,  pray  enlighten  me.  Are 
you  swinging  him  just  for  fun  or  are  you 
crazy  ?" 

"Everything  depends  on  his  jaws  and  my 
strong  right  arm,"  he  said,  and  he  was  be 
ginning  to  pant  from  the  exertion.  Swal 
low  was  swinging  higher  and  higher. 

"Well,  it  is  the  most  aimless  proceeding  I 
ever  saw." 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      79 

"I  hope  not.  On  second  thought,  every 
thing  depends  on  my  aim." 

"And  what  is  your  aim,  Mr.  Hercules?" 

"See  that  opening  above  the  box-stall 
over  there?" 

"Dimly." 

"That's  my  aim.  Heavens,  he's  a  heavy 
brute." 

"Oh,  I  see !"  she  cried  ecstatically,  clap 
ping  her  hands.  "Delicious !  Lovely !  Oh, 
Mr.  Crosby,  you  are  so  clever." 

"Don't  fall  off  that  beam,  please,"  he 
panted.  "It  might  rattle  me." 

"I  can't  help  being  excited.  It  is  the 
grandest  thing  I  ever  heard  of.  He  can't 
get  out  of  there,  can  he?  Dear  me,  the 
sides  of  that  stall  are  more  than  eight  feet 
high." 


80      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

"He  can't — get— out — of  it  if — I  get 
him — in,"  gasped  Crosby. 

Not  ten  feet  away  to  the  left  and  some 
four  feet  above  the  floor  level  there  was  a 
wide  opening  into  a  box-stall,  the  home  of 
Mr.  Austin's  prize  stallion.  As  the  big 
horse  was  inside  munching  his  hay,  Crosby 
was  reasonably  sure  that  the  stall  with 
its  tall  sides  was  securely  closed  and 
bolted. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  mighty  creak  of 
the  ladder,  the  swish  of  a  heavy  body 
through  the  air,  an  interrupted  growl,  and 
then  a  ripping  thud.  Swallow's  chubby 
body  shot  squarely  through  the  opening, 


"SWALLOW'S    CHUBBY    BODY    SHOT    SQUAEELY    THROUGH 
THE  OPENING." 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      81 

accompanied  by  a  trusty  though  somewhat 
sadly  stretched  vest,  and  the  deed  was  done. 
A  cry  of  delight  came  from  the  beam,  a 
shout  of  pride  and  relief  from  the  ladder, 
and  sounds  of  a  terrific  scramble  from  the 
stall.  First  there  was  a  sickening  grunt, 
then  a  surprised  howl,  then  the  banging  of 
horse-hoofs,  and  at  last  a  combination  of 
growls  and  howls  that  proved  Swallow's  in 
vasion  of  a  hornet's  nest. 

"Thunderation !"  came  in  sharp,  agon 
ized  tones  from  the  ladder. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  she  cried,  detect 
ing  disaster  in  the  exclamation. 

"I     am      a — a — blooming      idiot,"      he 


THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

groaned.  "I  forgot  to  remove  a  roll  of  bills 
from  an  upper  pocket  in  that  vest !" 

"Oh,  is  that  all?"  she  cried,  in  great  re 
lief,  starting  down  the  ladder. 

"All?  There  was  at  least  fifty  dollars 
in  that  roll,"  he  said,  from  the  floor,  not 
forgetting  to  assist  her  gallantly  to  the 
bottom. 

"You  can  add  it  to  my  bill,  you  know," 
she  said  sweetly. 

"But  it  leaves  me  dead  broke." 

"You  forget  that  I  have  money,  Mr. 
Crosby.  What  is  mine  to-night  is  also 
yours.  I  think  we  should  shake  hands  and 
congratulate  one  another."  Crosby's  sunny 
nature  lost  its  cloud  in  an  instant,  and  the 
two  clasped  hands  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder. 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      83 


"I  think  it  is  time  to  cut  and  run,"  he 
said.  "It's  getting  so  beastly  dark  we 
won't  be  able  to  find  the  road." 

"And  there  is  no  moon  until  midnight. 
But  come ;  we  are  free.  Let  us  fly  the  hated 
spot,  as  they  say  in  the  real  novels.  How 
good  the  air  feels !" 

She  was  soon  leading  the  way  swiftly 
toward  the  gate.  Night  had  fallen  so 
quickly  that  they  were  in  utter  darkness. 
There  were  lights  in  the  windows  of  the 
house  on  the  hill,  and  the  escaped  prisoners, 
with  one  impulse,  shook  their  clenched 
hands  toward  them. 

"I  am  awfully  sorry,  Mr.  Crosby,  that 
you  have  endured  so  much  hardship  in  com 
ing  to  see  me,"  she  went  on.  "I  hope  you 
haven't  manv  such  clients  as  I." 


84       THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

"One  is  enough,  I  assure  you,"  he  re 
sponded,  and  somehow  she  took  it  as  a  com 
pliment. 

"I  suppose  our  next  step  is  to  get  to  the 
railway  station,"  she  said. 

"Unless  you  will  condescend  to  lead  me 
through  this  assortment  of  plows,  wood 
piles,  and  farm-wagons,  I'm  inclined  to 
think  my  next  step  will  be  my  last.  Was 
ever  night  so  dark?"  Her  warm,  strong 
fingers  clutched  his  arm  and  then  dropped 
to  his  hand.  In  this  fashion  she  led  him 
swiftly  through  the  night,  down  a  short 
embankment,  and  into  the  gravel  highway. 
"The  way  looks  dark  and  grewsome  ahead 
of  us,  Mrs.  Delancy.  As  your  lawyer,  I'd 
advise  you  to  turn  back  and  find  safe  lodg 
ing  with  the  enemy.  It  is  going  to  storm, 
I'm  sure." 


THE    DAY   OF   THE    DOG       85 

"That's  your  advice  as  a  lawyer,  JVIr. 
Crosby.  Will  you  give  me  your  advice  as 
a  friend?"  she  said  lightly.  Although  the 
time  had  passed  when  her  guiding  hand  was 
necessary,  he  still  held  the  member  in  his 
own. 

"I  couldn't  be  so  selfish,"  he  protested, 
and  without  another  word  they  started  olF 
down  the  road  toward  town. 

"Do  you  suppose  they  are  delaying  the 
opera  in  Chicago  until  you  come?"  she 
asked. 

"Poor  Graves !  he  said  he'd  kill  me  if  I 
didn't  come,"  said  Crosby,  laughing. 

"How  dreadful !" 

"But  I'm  not  regretting  the  opera. 
Quive  does  not  sing  until  to-morrow  night." 

"I  adore  Quive." 

"You  can't  possibly  have  an  engagement 


86      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

for  to-morrow  night  cither,"  he  said  re 
flectively. 

"I  don't  see  how  I  could.  I  expected  to 
be  on  a  Pullman  sleeper." 

"I'll  come  for  you  at  8 :15  then." 

"You  are  very  good,  Mr.  Crosby,  but  I 
have  another  plan." 

"I  beg  your  pardon  for  presuming  to — " 
he  began,  and  a  hot  flush  mounted  to  his 
brow. 

"You  arc  to  come  at  seven  for  dinner," 
she  supplemented  delightedly. 

"What  a  nice  place  the  seventh  heaven 
is!"  he  cried  warmly. 

"Sh!"  she  whispered  suddenly,  and  both 
stopped  stock-still.  "There  is  a  man  with 
a  lantern  at  the  lower  gate.  See?  Over 
yonder." 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG       87 


"What  of  it?  Who's  afraid  of  a  lan 
tern?" 

"But  it  is  rather  odd  that  the  man  should 
be  there.  Just  see  what  he  is  doing  with 
the  lantern,"  she  expostulated. 

"He's  putting  it  on  the  top  of  the  gate 
post,  that's  all." 

"Well,  there  must  be  an  object  in  that." 

"I'll  ask  the  man." 

"It  is  foolish  of  me  to  be  alarmed,  Mr. 
Crosby,  but  I  feel  in  my  bones  that  some 
thing  is  going  to  happen." 

"I  agree  with  you,  only  I  don't  feel  it  in 
my  bones.  It  affects  my  stomach.  Why 
should  we  stand  here  and  discuss  a  man 
with  a  lantern  when  both  of  us  are  starving 
to  death  by  yards?  We  have  a  mile  and  a 
half  walk  ahead  of  us- 

"Look !    A  buggy  is  stopping  at  the  gate 


88      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

— and  there  is  another.  What  does  it 
mean  ?" 

Two  vehicles,  dimly  outlined  against  the 
darkness,  had  drawn  up  at  the  gate,  and  the 
man  with  the  lantern  advanced  to  converse 
with  the  occupants. 

"That  you,  Mr.  Austin?"  called  a 
voice  from  the  first  buggy,  as  the  lantern 
advanced. 

"Yes.  How  many  men  have  you  with 
you?" 

"Robert  Austin !"  gasped  the  fair 
watcher,  clutching  Crosby's  arm. 

"There  are  five  of  us,  Mr.  Austin.  I 
guess  we  can  take  him  all  right." 

Crosby  started  violently. 


THE    DAY   OF   THE   DOG      89 

"They're  after  me,  Mrs.  Delancy,"  he 
whispered.  A  moment  later  they  were  off 
the  road  and  in  the  dense  shadow  of  the 
hedge. 

"Is  he  still  in  the  barn,  Mr.  Austin?" 
demanded  the  man  in  the  buggy. 

"I  am  positive  he  is.  No  human  being 
could  get  away  from  that  dog  of  mine." 
Crosby  chuckled  audibly,  and  Mrs.  Delancy 
with  difficulty  suppressed  a  proud  giggle. 

"Well,  we  might  as  well  go  up  and  get 
him  then.  Do  you  think  he's  a  desperate 
character?" 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  him, 
Davis.  He  says  he  is  a  lawyer,  but  his 
actions  were  so  strange  that  I  thought  you'd 


90      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 

best  look  into  his  case.  A  night  in  the  jail 
won't  hurt  him,  and  if  he  can  prove  that  he 
is  what  he  says  he  is,  let  him  go  to-morrow. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  may  turn  out  to  be  a 
very  important  capture." 

"Oh,  this  is  rich!"  whispered  Crosby  ex 
citedly.  "Austin  is  certainly  doing  the  job 
up  brown.  But  wait  till  he  consults  Swal 
low,  the  infallible ;  he  won't  be  so  positive." 
For  a  few  minutes  the  party  of  men  at  the 
gate  conversed  in  low  tones,  the  listeners 
being  able  to  catch  but  few  of  the  words 
uttered. 

"Please  let  go  of  my  arm,  Mrs.  De- 
lancy,"  said  Crosby  suddenly. 

"Where  are  you  going  ?" 

"I  am  going  to  tell  Austin  what  I  think 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      91 

of  him.  You  don't  expect  me  to  stand  by 
and  allow  a  pack  of  jays  to  hunt  me  down 
as  if  I  were  Jesse  James  or  some  other  des 
perado,  do  you?" 

"Do  you  suppose  they  would  credit  your 
story?  They  will  throw  you  into  jail  and 
there  you'd  stay  until  some  one  came  down 
from  Chicago  to  identify  you." 

"But  a  word  from  you  would  clear  me," 
he  said  in  surprise. 

"If  they  pinned  me  down  to  the  truth,  I 
could  only  say  I  had  never  seen  you  until 
this  afternoon." 

"Great  Scott!  You  know  I  am  Crosby, 
don't  you?" 

"I  am  positive  you  are,  but  what  would 
you,  as  a  lawyer,  say  to  me  if  you  were 


92      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

cross-examining  me  on  the  witness  stand? 
You'd  ask  some  very  embarrassing  ques 
tions,  and  I  could  only  say  in  the  end  that 
the  suspected  horse  thief  told  me  his  name 
and  I  was  goose  enough  to  believe  him.  No, 
my  dear  friend,  I  think  the  safest  plan  is  to 
take  advantage  of  the  few  minutes'  start  we 
have  and  escape  the  law." 

"You  mean  that  I  must  run  from  these 
fellows  as  if  I  were  really  a  thief?" 

"Only  a  suspected  thief,  you  know." 

"I'd  rather  be  arrested  a  dozen  times  than 
to  desert  you  at  this  time." 

"Oh,  but  I'm  going  with  you,"  she  said 
positively. 

"Like  a  thief,  too?     I  could  not  permit 


THE    DAY   OF   THE   DOG      93 

that,  you  know.  Just  stop  and  think  how 
awkward  for  you  it  would  be  if  we  were 
caught  flying  together." 

"Birds  of  a  feather.  It  might  have  been 
worse  if  you  had  not  disposed  of  Swallow." 

"I  must  tell  you  what  a  genuine  brick 
you  are.  If  they  overtake  us  it  will  give 
me  the  greatest  delight  in  the  v/orld  to  fight 
the  whole  posse  for  your  sake." 

"After  that,  do  you  wonder  I  want  to  go 
with  you?"  she  whispered,  and  Crosby 
would  have  fought  a  hundred  men  for  her. 

The  marshal  and  his  men  were  now  fol 
lowing  Mr.  Austin  and  the  lantern  toward 
the  barn,  and  the  road  was  quite  deserted. 
Mrs.  Delancy  and  Crosby  started  off 


94      THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG 


rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  town.  The 
low  rumble  of  distant  thunder  came  to  their 
ears,  and  ever  and  anon  the  western  black 
ness  was  faintly  illumined  by  flashes  of 
lightning.  Neither  of  the  fugitives  uttered 
a  word  until  they  were  far  past  the  gate. 

"By  George,  Mrs.  Delancy,  we  are  for 
getting  one  important  thing,"  said  Crosby. 
They  were  striding  along  swiftly  arm  in 
arm.  "They'll  discover  our  flight,  and  the 
railway  station  will  be  just  where  they'll 
expect  to  find  us." 

"Oh,  confusion !  We  can't  go  to  the  sta 
tion,  can  we?" 

"We  can,  but  Ave'll  be  captured  with 
humiliating  ease." 

"I     know     what     we     can     do.      Scott 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG      95 


Higgins  is  the  tenant  on  my  farm,  and  he 
lives  half  a  mile  farther  from  town  than 
Austin.  We  can  turn  back  to  his  place,  but 
we  will  have  to  cut  across  one  of  Mr. 
Austin's  fields." 

"Charming.  We  can  have  the  satisfac 
tion  of  trampling  on  some  of  Mr.  Austin's 
early  wheat  crop.  Right  about,  face !  But, 
incidentally,  what  are  we  to  do  after  we  get 
to  Mr.  Higgins's?"  They  were  now  scurry 
ing  back  over  the  ground  they  had  just 
traversed. 

"Oh,  dear  me,  why  should  we  think  about 
troubles  until  we  come  to  them?" 

**I  wasn't  thinking  about  troubles.  I'm 
thinking  about  something  to  eat." 

"You    are    intensely    unromantic.      But 


96      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

Mrs.  Higgins  is  awfully  good.  She  will 
give  us  eggs  and  cakes  and  milk  and  coffee 
and — everything.  Won't  it  be  jolly?" 

Five  minutes  later  they  were  plunging 
through  a  field  of  partly  grown  wheat,  in 
what  she  averred  to  be  the  direction  of  the 
Higgins  home.  It  was  not  good  walking, 
but  they  were  young  and  strong  and  very 
much  interested  in  one  another  and  the 
adventure. 

"Hello,  what's  this?  A  river?"  he  cried, 
as  the  swish  of  running  waters  came  to  his 
ears. 

"Oh;  isn't  it  dreadful?  I  forgot  this 
creek  was  here,  and  there  is  no  bridge  nearer 
than  a  mile.  What  shall  we  do?  See  there 
is  a  light  in  Higgins's  house  over  there. 


HE    WAS    SPLASHING    THUOUGH     THE    SHALLOW     BROOK. 


THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG      97 

Isn't  it  disgusting?  I  could  sit  down  and 
cry,"  she  wailed.  In  the  distance  a  dog  was 
heard  barking  fiercely,  but  they  did  not 
recognize  the  voice  of  Swallow.  A  new 
trouble  confronted  them. 

"Don't  do  that,"  he  said  resignedly. 
"Remember  how  Eliza  crossed  the  ice  with 
the  bloodhounds  in  full  trail.  Do  you  know 
how  deep  and  wide  the  creek  is?" 

"It's  a  tiny  bit  of  a  thing,  but  it's  wet," 
she  said  ruefully. 

"I'll  carry  you  over."  And  a  moment 
later  he  was  splashing  through  the  shallow 
brook,  holding  the  lithe,  warm  figure  of 
his  client  high  above  the  water.  As  he  set 
her  down  upon  the  opposite  bank  she  gave 
a  pretty  sigh  of  satisfaction,  and  naively 


98      THE   DAY   OF   THE   DOG 

told  him  that  he  was  very  strong  for  a  man 
in  the  last  stages  of  starvation. 

Two  or  three  noisy  dogs  gave  them  the 
first  welcome,  and  Crosby  sagely  looked 
aloft  for  refuge.  His  companion  quieted 
the  dogs,  however,  and  the  advance  on  the 
squat  farmhouse  was  made  without  resist 
ance.  The  visitors  were  not  long  in  ac 
quainting  the  good-natured  and  astonished 
young  farmer  with  the  situation.  Mrs. 
Higgins  was  called  from  her  bed  and  in  a 
jiffy  was  bustling  about  the  kitchen,  from 
which  soon  floated  odors  so  tantalizing  that 
the  refugees  could  scarcely  suppress  the  de 
sire  to  rush  forth  and  storm  the  good  cook 
in  her  castle. 

"It's  mighty  lucky  you  got  here  when 
you  did,  Mrs.  Delancy,"  said  Higgins, 


THE   DAY  OF   THE   DOG      99 

peering  from  the  window.  "Looks  's  if  it 
might  rain  before  long.  We  ain't  got  much 
of  a  place  here,  but,  if  you'll  put  up  with 
it,  I  guess  we  can  take  keer  of  you  over 
night." 

"Oh,  but  we  couldn't  think  of  it,"  she 
protested.  "After  we  have  had  something 
to  eat  we  must  hurry  off  to  the  station." 

"What  station?"  asked  Crosby  senten- 
tiously. 

"I  don't  know,  but  it  wouldn't  be  a  bit 
nice  to  spoil  the  adventure  by  stopping 
now." 

"But  we  can't  walk  all  over  the  State 
of  Illinois,"  he  cried. 

"For  shame!  You  are  ready  to  give  up 
the  instant  something  to  eat  comes  in 
sight.  Mr.  Higgins  may  be  able  to  sug 
gest  something.  What  is  the  nearest- 


"I  have  it,"  interrupted  Crosby.     "The 


100     THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

Wabash  road  runs  through  this  neighbor 
hood,  doesn't  it?  Well,  where  is  its  nearest 
station  ?" 

"Lonesomeville  —  about  four  miles 
south,"  said  Higgins. 

"Do  the  night  trains  stop  there?" 

"I  guess  you  can  flpg  'em." 

"There's  an  east-bound  train  from  St. 
Louis  about  midnight,  I'm  quite  sure." 

While  the  fugitives  were  enjoying  Mrs. 
Higgins's  hastily  but  adorably  prepared 
meal,  the  details  of  the  second  stage  of  the 
flight  were  perfected.  Mr.  Higgins  gladly 
consented  to  hitch  up  his  high-boarded  farm 
wagon  and  drive  them  to  the  station  on  the 
Wabash  line,  and  half  an  hour  later  Hig- 


THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG     101 

gins's  wagon  clattered  away  in  the  night. 
To  all  appearances  he  was  the  only  passen 
ger.  But  seated  on  a  soft  pile  of  grain 
sacks  in  the  rear  of  the  wagon,  completely 
hidden  from  view  by  the  tall  "side-beds," 
were  the  refugees.  Mrs.  Delancy  insisted 
upon  this  mode  of  travel  as  a  precaution 
against  the  prying  eyes  of  persistent  mar 
shal's  men.  Hidden  in  the  wagon-bed  they 
might  reasonably  escape  detection,  she 
argued,  and  Crosby  humored  her  for  more 
reasons  than  one.  Higgins  threw  a  huge 
grain  tarpaulin  over  the  wagon-bed,  and 
they  were  sure  to  be  dry  in  case  the  rain 
storm  came  as  expected.  It  was  so  dark  that 
neither  could  see  the  face  of  the  other.  He 


102     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

had  a  longing  desire  to  take  her  hand  into 
his,  but  there  was  something  in  the  atmos 
phere  that  warned  him  against  such  a  de 
lightful  but  unnecessary  proceeding. 
Naturally,  they  were  sitting  quite  close  to 
each  other;  even  the  severe  jolting  of  the 
springless  wagon  could  not  disturb  the  feel 
ing  of  happy  contentment. 

"I  hope  it  won't  storm,"  she  said  ner 
vously,  as  a  little  shudder  ran  through  her 
body.  The  wind  was  now  blowing  quite 
fiercely  and  those  long-distant  rolls  of  thun 
der  were  taking  on  the  sinister  sound  of 
near-by  crashes.  "I  don't  mind  thunder 
when  I'm  in  the  house." 

"And  under  the  bed,  I  suppose,"  he 
laughed. 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG     103 

"Well,  you  know,  lightning  could  strike 
this  wagon,"  she  persisted.  "Oh,  goodness, 
that  was  awfully  close!"  she  cried,  as  a 
particularly  loud  crash  came  to  their  ears. 

The  wagon  came  to  an  abrupt  stop,  and 
Crosby  was  about  to  crawl  forth  to  demand 
the  reason  when  the  sound  of  a  man's  voice 
came  through  the  rushing  wind. 

"What  is  it?"  whispered  Mrs.  Delancy, 
clutching  his  arm. 

"Sh !"  he  replied.  "We're  held  up  by 
highwaymen,  I  think !" 

"Oh,  how  lovely!"  she  whispered  rap 
turously. 

"How  far  are  you  goin'?"  came  the 
strange  voice  from  the  night. 

"Oh,  's  far  ag'in  as  half,"  responded 
Higgins  warily. 


THE  DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

"That  you,  Scott?"  demanded  the  other. 

"Yep." 

"Say,  Scott,  gimme  a  ride,  will  you? 
Goin'  as  far  as  Lonesomeville  ?" 

"What  you  doin'  out  this  time  o'  night?" 
demanded  Higgins. 

"Lookin'  for  a  feller  that  tried  to  steal 
Mr.  Austin's  horses.  We  thought  we  had 
him  cornered  up  to  the  place,  but  he  got 
away  somehow.  But  we'll  get  him.  Davis 
has  got  fifty  men  scouring  the  country,  I 
bet.  I  been  sent  on  to  Lonesomeville  to 
head  him  off  if  he  tries  to  take  a  train.  He's 
a  purty  desperate  character,  they  say,  too, 
Scott.  Say,  gimme  a  lift  as  far  as  you're 
agoin',  won't  you?" 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     105 

"I — I — well,  I  reckon  so,"  floundered  the 
helpless  Higgins. 

"Really,  this  is  getting  a  bit  serious," 
whispered  Crosby  to  his  breathless  com 
panion. 

The  deputy  was  now  on  the  seat  with 
Higgins,  and  the  latter,  bewildered  and  dis 
mayed  beyond  expression,  was  urging  his 
horses  into  their  fastest  trot. 

"How  far  is  it  to  Lonesomeville?"  asked 
the  deputy. 

'"Bout  two  mile." 

"It'll  rain  before  we  get  there,"  said  the 
other  significantly. 

"I'm  not  afeared  of  rain,"  said  Higgins. 

"What  are  you  goin'  over  there  this  time 
o'  night  for?"  asked  the  other.  "You  ain't 
got  much  of  a  load." 


106     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

«pm — l'm  takin'  some  meat  over  to  Mr. 
Talbert." 

"Hams?" 

"No;  jest  bacon,"  answered  Scott,  and 
liis  two  hearers  in  the  wagon-bed  laughed 
silently. 

"Not  many  people  out  a  night  like  this," 
volunteered  the  deputy. 

"Nope." 

"That  a  tarpaulin  you  got  in  the  back 
of  the  bed?  Jest  saw  it  by  the  lightnin'." 

"Got  the  bacon  kivcred  to  keep  it  from 
gittin'  wet  'n  case  it  rains,"  hastily  inter 
posed  Scott.  He  was  discussing  within 
himself  the  advisability  of  knocking  the 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     107 

deputy  from  the  seat  and  whipping  the 
team  into  a  gallop,  leaving  him  behind. 

"You  don't  mind  my  crawlin'  under  the 
tarpaulin  if  it  rains,  do  you,  Scott?" 

"There  ain't  no — no  room  under  it, 
Harry,  an'  I  won't  allow  that  bacon  to  git 
wet  under  no  consideration." 

A  generous  though  nerve-racking  crash 
of  thunder  changed  the  current  of  conver 
sation.  It  drifted  from  the  weather  imme 
diately,  however,  to  a  one-sided  discussion 
of  the  escaped  horse  thief. 

"I  guess  he's  a  purty  slick  one,"  they 
heard  the  deputy  say.  "Austin  said  he  had 
him  dead  to  rights  in  his  barn !  That  big 


108     THE  DAY  OF  THE   DOG 


bulldog  of  his  had  him  treed  on  a  beam,  but 
when  we  got  there,  just  after  dark,  the 
darned  cuss  was  gone,  an'  the  dog  was 
trapped  up  in  a  box-stall.  By  thunder,  it 
showed  how  desperate  the  feller  is.  He  evi 
dently  come  down  from  that  beam  an'  jest 
naturally  picked  that  tumble  bulldog  up 
by  the  neck  an'  throwed  him  over  into  the 
stall." 

"Have  you  got  a  revolver?"  asked  Hig- 
gins  loudly. 

"Sure!  You  don't  s'pose  I'd  go  up 
against  that  kind  of  a  man  without  a  gun, 
do  you?" 

"Oh,  goodness !"  some  one  whispered  in 
Crosby's  ear. 

"But  he  ain't  armed,"  argued  Higgins. 
"If  he'd  had  a  gun  don't  you  s'pose  he'd 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     109 


shot  that  dog  an'  got  away  long  before  he 
did?" 

"That  shows  how  much  you  know  about 
these  crooks,  Higgins,"  said  the  other 
loftily.  "He  had  a  mighty  good  reason  for 
not  shooting  the  dog." 

"What  was  the  reason?" 

"I  don't  know  jest  what  it  was,  but  any 
darned  fool  ought  to  see  that  he  had  a  rea 
son.  Else  why  didn't  he  shoot?  Course 
he  had  a  reason.  But  the  funny  part  of  the 
whole  thing  is  what  has  become  of  the 
woman." 

"What  woman?" 

,  "That  widder,"  responded  the  other, 
and  Crosby  felt  her  arm  harden.  "I  never 
thought  much  o'  that  woman.  You'd  think 
she  owned  the  whole  town  of  Dexter  to  see 


110     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

her  paradin'  around  the  streets,  showin'  off 
her  city  clothes,  an'  all  such  stuff.  They  do 
say  she  led  George  Delancy  a  devil  of  a 
life,  an'  it's  no  wonder  he  died." 

"The  wretch !"  came  from  the  rear  of  the 
wagon. 

"Well,  she's  up  and  skipped  out  with  the 
horse  thief.  Austin  says  she  tried  to  pro 
tect  him,  and  I  guess  they  had  a  regular 
family  row  over  the  affair.  She's  gone  an' 
the  man's  gone,  an'  it  looks  darned  suspi 
cious.  He  was  a  good-lookin'  feller,  Austin 
says,  an'  she's  dead  crazy  to  git  another 
man,  I've  heard.  Dang  me,  it's  jest  as  I 
said  to  Davis :  I  wouldn't  put  it  above  her 
to  take  up  with  this  good-lookin'  thief  an' 
skip  off  with  him.  Her  husband's  been 
dead  more'n  two  year,  an'  she's  too  darned 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG     111 

purty  to  stay  in  strict  mournin'  longer'n 
she  has  to — 

But  just  then  something  strong,  firm, 
and  resistless  grasped  his  neck  from  behind, 
and,  even  as  he  opened  his  mouth  to  gasp 
out  his  surprise  and  alarm,  a  vise-like  grip 
shut  down  on  his  thigh,  and  then,  he  was 
jerked  backward,  lifted  upward,  tossed  out 
ward,  falling  downward.  The  wagon  clat 
tered  off  in  the  night,  and  a  tall  man  and  a 
woman  looked  over  the  side  of  the  wagon- 
bed  and  waited  for  the  next  flash  of  light 
ning  to  show  them  where  the  official  gos- 
siper  had  fallen.  The  long,  blinding,  flash 
came,  and  Crosby  saw  the  man  as  he  picked 
himself  from  the  ditch  at  the  roadside. 

"Whip  up,  Higgins,  and  we'll  leave  him 
so  far  behind  he'll  never  catch  us,"  cried 
Crosby  eagerly.  The  first  drops  of  rain 


112     THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

began  to  fall  and  Mrs.  Delancy  hurriedly 
crawled  beneath  the  tarpaulin,  urging  him 
to  follow  at  once.  Another  flash  of  light 
ning  revealed  the  deputy,  far  back  in  the 
road  waving  his  hands  frantically. 

"I'm  glad  his  neck  isn't  broken.  Hurry 
on,  Mr.  Higgins ;  it  is  now  more  urgent 
than  ever  that  you  save  your  bacon." 

"'Tain't  very  comfortable  ridin'  for  Mrs. 
Delancy,"  apologized  Higgins,  his  horses 
in  a  lope. 

"If  the  marshal  asks  you  why  you  didn't 
stop  and  help  his  deputy,  just  tell  him  that 
the  desperado  held  a  pistol  at  your  head 
and  commanded  you  to  drive  like  the  devil. 
Holy  mackerel,  here  comes  the  deluge!" 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG     113 

An  instant  later  he  was  under  the  tarpaulin, 
crouching  beside  his  fellow  fugitive.  Con 
versation  was  impossible,  so  great  was  the 
noise  of  the  rain-storm  and  the  rattle  of  the 
wagon  over  the  hard  pike.  He  did  his  best 
to  protect  her  from  the  jars  and  bumps 
incident  to  the  leaping  and  jolting  of  the 
wagon,  and  both  were  filled  with  rejoicing 
when  Higgins  shouted  "Whoa!"  to  the 
horses  and  brought  the  wild  ride  to  an  end. 

"Where  are  we?"  cried  Crosby,  sticking 
his  head  from  beneath  the  tarpaulin. 

"We're  in  the  dump-shed  of  the  grain 
elevator,  just  across  the  track  from  the 
depot." 

"And  the  ride  is  over?" 


114     THE  DAY  OF  THE   DOG 


"Yep.     Did  you  get  bumped  much?" 

"It  was  worse,  a  thousand  times,  than 
sitting  on  the  beam,"  bemoaned  a  sweet, 
tired  voice,  and  a  moment  later  the  two 
refugees  stood  erect  in  the  wagon,  neither 
quite  sure  that  legs  so  tired  and  stiff  could 
serve  as  support. 

"It  was  awful;  wasn't  it?"  Crosby  said, 
stretching  himself  painfully. 

"Are  you  not  drenched  to  the  skin,  Mr. 
Higgins?"  cried  Mrs.  Delancy  anxiously. 
"How  selfish  of  us  not  to  have  thought  of 
you  before!" 

"Oh,  that's  all  right.  This  gum  coat 
kept  me  purty  dry." 

He  and  Crosby  assisted  her  from  the 
wagon,  and,  while  the  former  gave  his 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     115 

attention  to  the  wet  and  shivering  horses, 
the  latter  took  her  arm  and  walked  up 
and  down  the  dark  shed  with  her. 

"I  think  you  are  regretting  the  impulse 
that  urged  you  into  this  folly,"  he  was  say 
ing. 

"If  you  persist  in  accusing  me  of  faint 
heartedness,  Mr.  Crosby,  I'll  never  speak  to 
you  again,"  she  said.  "I  cast  my  lot  with 
a  desperado,  as  the  deputy  insinuated,  and 
I  am  sure  you  have  not  heard  me  bewail  my 
fate.  Isn't  it  worth  something  to  have  one 
day  and  night  of  real  adventure?  My  gown 
must  be  a  sight,  and  I  know  my  hair  is  just 
dreadful,  but  my  heart  is  gayer  and  bright 
er  to-night  than  it  has  been  in  years." 

"And  you  don't  regret  anything  that  has 


116     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

happened?"  he  asked,  pressing  her  arm 
ever  so  slightly. 

"My  only  regret  is  that  you  heard  what 
the  deputy  said  about  me.  You  don't  be 
lieve  I  am  like  that,  do  you?"  There  was 
sweet  womanly  concern  in  her  voice. 

"I  wish  it  were  light  enough  to  see  your 
face,"  he  answered,  his  lips  close  to  her  ear. 
"I  know  you  are  blushing,  and  you  must  be 
more  beautiful — Oh,  no,  of  course  I  don't 
think  you  are  at  all  as  he  painted  you,"  he 
concluded,  suddenly  checking  himself  and 
answering  the  plaintive  question  he  had 
almost  ignored. 

"Thank  you,  kind  sir,"  she  said  lightly, 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     117 

but  he  failed  not  to  observe  the  tinge  of  con 
fusion  in  the  laugh  that  followed. 

"If  you'll  watch  the  team,  Mr.  Crosby," 
the  voice  of  Higgins  broke  in  at  this  timely 
juncture,  "I'll  run  acrost  to  the  depot  an' 
ast  about  the  train." 

"Much  obliged,  old  man ;  much  obliged," 
returned  Crosby  affably.  "Are  you  afraid 
to  be  alone  in  the  dark?"  he  asked,  as  Hig 
gins  rushed  out  into  the  rain.  The  storm 
had  abated  by  this  time  and  there  was  but 
the  faintest  suggestion  of  distant  thunder 
and  lightning,  the  after-fall  of  rain  being 
little  more  than  a  drizzle. 

"Awfully,"  she  confessed,  "but  it's  safer 
here  than  on  the  beam,"  she  added,  and  his 


118     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

heart  grew  very  tender  as  lie  detected  the 
fatigue  in  her  voice.  "Anyhow,  we  have 
the  papers  safely  signed." 

"Mrs.  Delancy,  I — I  swear  that  you 
shall  never  regret  this  day  and  night,"  he 
said,  stopping  in  his  walk  and  placing  his 
hands  on  her  shoulders.  She  caught  her 
breath  quickly.  "Do  you  know  what  I 
mean  ?" 

"I — I  think — I'm  not  quite  sure,"  she 
stammered. 

"You  will  know  some  day,"  he  said 
huskily. 

When  Mr.  Higgins  appeared  at  the  end 
of  the  shed,  carrying  a  lighted  lantern,  he 
saw  a  tall  young  man  and  a  tall  young 
woman  standing  side  by  side,  awaiting  his 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG     119 

approach  with  the  unconcern  of  persons 
who  have  no  interest  in  common. 

"Ah,  a  lantern,"  cried  Crosby.  "Now 
we  can  see  what  we  look  like  and — and  who 
we  are." 

Higgins  informed  them  that  an  east- 
bound  passenger  train  went  through  in 
twenty  minutes,  stopping  on  the  side  track 
to  allow  west-bound  No.  7  to  pass.  This 
train  also  took  water  near  the  bridge  which 
crossed  the  river  just  west  of  the  depot.  The 
west-bound  train  was  on  time,  the  other 
about  five  minutes  late.  He  brought  the  wel 
come  news  that  the  rain  was  over  and  that  a 
few  stars  were  peeping  through  the  western 
sky.  There  was  unwelcome  news,  however, 
in  the  statement  that  the  mud  was  ankle 


120     THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 


deep  from  the  elevator  to  the  station  plat 
form  and  that  the  washing  out  of  a  street 
culvert  would  prevent  him  from  using  the 
wagon. 

"I  don't  mind  the  mud,"  said  Mrs. 
Delancy,  very  bravely  indeed. 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Delancy,  I  can  and  will 
carry  you  a  mile  or  more  rather  than  have 
one  atom  of  Lonesomeville  mud  bespatter 
those  charming  boots  of  yours,"  said 
Crosby  cheerfully,  and  her  protestations 
were  useless  against  the  argument  of  both 
men. 

The  distance  was  not  great  from  the 
sheds  to  the  station  and  was  soon  covered. 
Crosby  was  muddy  to  his  knees,  but  his  fair 
passenger  was  as  dry  as  toast  when  he 
lowered  her  to  the  platform. 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG     121 


"You  are  every  bit  as  strong  as  the  hero 
in  the  modern  novel,"  she  said  gaily. 
"After  this,  I'll  believe  every  word  the 
author  says  about  his  stalwart,  indomitable 
hero." 

To  say  that  Higgins  was  glad  to  be 
homeward  bound  would  be  putting  it  too 
mildly.  The  sigh  of  relief  that  came  from 
him  as  he  drove  out  of  town  a  few  minutes 
later  was  so  audible  that  he  heard  it  himself 
and  smiled  contentedly.  If  he  expected  to 
meet  the  unlamented  Harry  Brown  on  the 
home  trip,  he  was  to  be  agreeably  disap 
pointed.  Mr.  Brown  was  not  on  the  road 
way.  He  was,  instead,  on  the  depot  plat 
form  at  Lonesomeville,  and  when  the 
westbound  express  train  whistled  for  the 
station  he  was  standing  grimly  in  front  of 


122     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

two  dumbfounded  young  people  who  sat 
sleepily  and  unwarily  on  a  baggage  truck. 

The  feeble-eyed  lantern  sat  on  the  plat 
form  near  Crosby's  swinging  feet,  and  the 
picture  that  it  looked  upon  was  one  sugges 
tive  of  the  cheap,  sensational,  and  blood 
curdling  border  drama.  A  mud-covered 
man  stood  before  the  trapped  fugitives,  a 
huge  revolver  in  his  hand,  the  muzzle  of 
which,  even  though  it  wobbled  painfully, 
was  uncomfortably  close  to  Mr.  Crosby's 
nose. 

"Throw  up  your  hands !"  said  Brown,  his 
hoarse  voice  shaking  perceptibly.  Crosby's 
hands  went  up  instantly,  for  he  was  a  man 
and  a  diplomat. 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     123 

"Point  it  the  other  way !"  cried  the  lady, 
with  true  feminine  tact.  "How  dare  you! 
• — Oh,  will  it  go  off?  Please,  please  put  it 
away!  We  won't  try  to  escape!" 

"I'm  takin'  no  chances  on  this  feller," 
said  Brown  grimly.  "It  won't  go  off, 
ma'am,  unless  he  makes  a  move  to  git 
away." 

"What  do  you  want?"  demanded  Crosby 
indignantly.  "My  money?  Take  it,  if 
you  like,  but  don't  be  long  about  it." 

"I'm  no  robber,  darn  you." 

"Well,  what  in  thunder  do  you  mean  then 


124     THE  DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

by  holding  me  up  at  the  point  of  a  revol 
ver?" 

"I'm  an  officer  of  the  law  an'  I  arrest 
you.  That's  what  I'm  here  for,"  said 
Brown. 

"Arrest  me?"  exclaimed  Crosby  in  great 
amazement.  "What  have  I  done?" 

"No  back  talk  now,  young  feller.  You're 
the  man  we're  after,  an'  it  won't  do  you 
any  good  to  chew  the  rag  about  it." 

"If  you  don't  turn  that  horrid  pistol 
away,  I'll  faint,"  cried  femininity  in  col 
lapse.  Crosby's  arm  went  about  her  waist 
and  she  hid  her  terror-stricken  eyes  on  his 
shoulder. 

"Keep  that  hand  up!"  cried  Brown 
threateningly. 

"Don't  be  mean  about  it,  old  man.     Can't 


you  see  that  my  arm  is  not  at  all  danger 
ous?" 

"I've  got  to  search  you." 

"Search  me?  Well,  I  guess  not.  Where 
is  your  authority?" 

"I'm  a  deputy  marshal  from  Dexter." 

"Have  you  been  sworn  in,  sir?" 

"Aw,  that's  all  right  now.  No  more  rag 
chewin'  out  of  you.  That'll  do  you!  Keep 
your  hands  up !" 

"What  am  I  charged  with  ?" 

"Attempted  horse  stealin',  an'  you  know 
it." 

"Have  you  a  warrant?  What  is  my 
name?" 

"That'll  do  you  now ;  that'll  do  you." 

"See  here,  my  fine  friend,  you've  made 
a  sad  mistake.  I'm  not  the  man  you  want. 
I'm  ready  to  go  to  jail,  if  you  insist,  but  it 
will  cost  you  every  dollar  you  have  in  the 


126     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

world.  I'll  make  you  pay  dearly  for  call 
ing  an  honest  man  a  thief,  sir."  Crosby's 
indignation  was  beautifully  assumed  and  it 
took  effect. 

"Mr.  Austin  is  the  man  who  ordered  your 
arrest,"  he  explained.  "I  know  Mrs. 
Delancy  here  all  right,  an'  she  left 
Austin's  with  you." 

"What  are  you  talking  about,  man? 
She  is  my  cousin  and  drove  over  here  this 
evening  to  see  me  between  trains.  I  think 
you'd  better  lower  your  gun,  my  friend. 
This  will  go  mighty  hard  with  you." 

"But " 

"He  has  you  confused  with  that  horse 
thief  who  said  his  name  was  Crosby,  Tom," 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     127 

said  she,  pinching  his  arm  delightedly. 
"He  was  the  worst-looking  brute  I  ever 
saw.  I  thought  Mr.  Austin  had  him  so 
secure  with  the  bulldog  as  guardian.  Did 
he  escape?" 

"Yes,  an'  you  went  with  him,"  exclaimed 
Brown,  making  a  final  stand.  "An*  I  know 
all  about  how  you  come  over  here  in  Scott 
Higgins's  wagon  too." 

"The  man  is  crazy!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Delancy. 

"He  may  have  escaped  from  the  asylum 
up  north  of  here,"  whispered  Crosby,  loud 
enough  for  the  deputy  to  hear. 

"Here  comes  the  train,"  cried  she.  "Now 
we  can  ask  the  train  men  to  disarm  him  and 


128     THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

send  him  back  to  the  asylum.  Isn't  it  awful 
that  such  dangerous  people  can  be  at 
large  ?" 

Brown  lowered  his  pistol  as  the  engine 
thundered  past.  The  pilot  was  almost  in 
the  long  bridge  at  the  end  of  the  depot 
when  the  train  stopped  to  wait  for  the  east- 
bound  express  to  pass.  The  instant  that 
Brown's  revolver  arm  was  lowered  and  his 
head  turned  with  uncertainty  to  look  at  the 
train,  Crosby's  hand  went  to  his  coat  pock 
et,  and  when  the  deputy  turned  toward  him 
again  he  found  himself  looking  into  the 
shiny,  glittering  barrel  of  a  pistol. 

"Throw  that  gun  away,  my  friend," 
said  Crosby  in  a  low  tone,  "or  I'll  blow  your 
brains  out." 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG     129 

"Great  Scott!"  gasped  Brown. 

"Throw  it  away !" 

"Don't  kill  him,"  pleaded  Mrs.  Delancy. 
Brown's  knees  were  shaking  like  leaves  and 
his  teeth  chattered.  His  revolver  sailed 
through  the  air  and  clattered  on  the  brick 
pavement  beyond  the  end  of  the  plat 
form. 

"Don't  shoot,"  he  pleaded,  ready  to  drop 
to  his  knees. 

"I  won't  if  you  are  good  and  kind  and 
obliging,"  said  Crosby  sternly.  "Turn 
around — face  the  engine.  That's  right. 
Now  listen  to  me.  I've  got  this  pistol 
jammed  squarely  against  your  back,  and  if 
you  make  a  false  niove — well,  you  won't 


130     THE   DAY  OF  THE   DOG 


have  time  to  regret  it.  Answer  my  ques 
tions  too.  How  long  is  that  bridge?" 

"I— I  do— don't  kno— ow." 

"It's  rather  long,  isn't  it?" 

"With  the  fill  and  trestle  it's  nearly  half 
a  mile." 

"What  is  the  next  stop  west  of  here  for 
this  train?" 

"Hopville,  forty  mile  west." 

"Where  does  the  east-bound  train  stop 
next  after  leaving  here?" 

"It  don't  stop  till  it  gits  over  in 
Indiana,  thirty  mile  or  more." 

"I'm  much  obliged  to  you.  Now  walk 
straight  ahead  until  you  come  to  the  blind 
end  of  the  mail  car." 

At  the  front  end  of  the  mail  car  Crosby 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     131 

and  his  prisoner  halted.  Every  one  knows 
that  the  head  end  of  the  coach  just  back  of 
the  engine  tender  is  "blind."  That  is,  there 
is  no  door  leading  to  the  interior,  and  one 
must  stand  outside  on  the  narrow  platform 
if,  perchance,  he  is  there  when  the  train 
starts.  As  the  east-bound  train  pulled  in 
from  the  bridge,  coming  to  a  stop  on  the 
track  beyond  the  west-bound  train,  Crosby 
commanded  his  erstwhile  captor  to  climb 
aboard  the  blind  end  of  the  mail 
coach. 

"Geewhillikers,  don't  make  me  do  that," 
groaned  the  unhappy  Brown. 

"Get  aboard  and  don't  argue.  You  can 
come  back  to-morrow,  you  know,  and  you're 
perfectly  safe  if  you  stay  awake  and  don't 


132     THE  DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

roll  off.  Hurry  up!  If  you  try  to  jump 
off  before  you  reach  the  bridge  I'll  shoot." 

A  moment  later  the  train  pulled  into  the 
bridge  and  Crosby  hurried  back  to  his  anx 
ious  companion.  Brown  was  on  his  way  to 
a  station  forty  miles  west,  and  he  did  not 
dare  risk  jumping  off.  By  the  time  the 
train  reached  the  far  end  of  the  bridge  it 
was  running  forty  miles  an  hour. 

"Where  is  he?"  she  cried  in  alarm  as  he 
rushed  with  her  across  the  intervening  space 
to  the  coveted  "east-bound." 

"I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  when  we  get 
inside  this  train,"  he  answered.  "I  think 
Brown  is  where  he  can't  telegraph  to  head 
us  off  any  place  along  the  line,  and  if  we 
once  get  into  Indiana  we  are  comparatively 
safe.  Up  you  go !"  and  he  lifted  her  up  the 
car  steps. 


THE   DAY  OF  THE  DOG     133 

"Safe,"  she  sighed,  as  they  dropped  into 
a  seat  in  a  coach. 

"I'm  ashamed  to  mention  it,  my  dear  ac 
complice,  but  are  you  quite  sure  you  have 
your  purse  with  you?  With  the  usual  luck 
of  a  common  thief,  I  am  penniless." 

"Penniless  because  you  gave  your  for 
tune  to  the  cause  of  freedom,"  she  supple 
mented,  fumbling  in  her  chatelaine  bag  for 
her  purse.  "Here  it  is.  The  contents  are 
yours  until  the  end  of  our  romance." 

The  conductor  took  fare  from  him  to 
Lafayette  and  informed  the  mud-covered 
gentleman  that  he  could  get  a  train  from 
that  city  to  Chicago  at  2:30  in  the  morn 
ing. 

"We're  all  right  now,"  said  Crosby  after 
the  conductor  had  passed  on.  "You  are 


H-.AVA 


134     THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG 

tired,  little  woman.  Lie  back  and  go  to 
sleep.  The  rough  part  of  the  adventure  is 
almost  over."  He  secured  a  pillow  for  her, 
and  she  was  soon  resting  as  comfortably  as 
it  was  possible  in  the  day  coach  of  a  pas 
senger  train. 

For  many  minutes  he  sat  beside  her,  his 
eyes  resting  on  the  beautiful  tired  face  with 
its  closed  eyes,  long  lashes,  pensive  mouth, 
and  its  frame  of  dark  hair,  disarranged  and 
wild. 

"It's  strange,"  he  thought,  almost  aloud, 
"how  suddenly  it  comes  to  a  fellow.  Twelve 
hours  ago  I  was  as  free  as  a  bird  in  the  air, 
and  now " 


" 'GOOD  HEAVENS  !'   'WHAT  is  IT?'     HE  CRIED.     'YOU    ARE 

NOT    MARRIED,    ARE    YOU  ?'  ' 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     135 

Just  then  her  eyes  opened  widely  with  a 
start,  as  if  she  had  suddenly  come  from  a 
rather  terrifying  dream.  They  looked 
squarely  into  his,  and  he  felt  so  abashed 
that  he  was  about  to  turn  away  when,  with 
a  little  catch  in  her  voice,  she  exclaimed: 

"Good  heavens!" 

"What  is  it?"  he  cried. 

"You  are  not  married,  are  you?" 

"NO!  !  !" 

Like  a  culprit  caught  she  blushed  furi 
ously,  and  her  eyes  wavered  as  the  lids 
fell,  shutting  from  his  eager,  surprised 
gaze  the  prettiest  confusion  in  the 
world. 


136     THE  DAY  OF  THE   DOG 

"I — It  just  occurred  to  me  to  ask,"  she 
murmured. 

Crosby's  exhilaration  was  so  great  that, 
after  a  long,  hungry  look  at  the  peaceful 
face,  he  jumped  up  and  went  out  into  the 
vestibule,  where  he  whistled  with  all  the 
ardor  of  a  school-boy.  When  he  returned 
to  his  seat  beside  her  she  was  awake,  and  the 
little  look  of  distress  left  her  face  when  he 
appeared,  a  happy  smile  succeeding. 

"I  thought  you  had  deserted  me,"  she 
said. 

"Perish  the  thought." 

"Mr.  Crosby,  if  you  had  a  pistol  all  the 
time  we  were  in  the  barn,  why  did  you  not 
shoot  the  dog  and  free  us  hours  before  you 
did?"  she  asked  sternly. 


THE  DAY  OF  THE  DOG     137 

"I  had  no  pistol,"  he  grinned.  From  his 
pocket  he  drew  a  nickel-plated  menthol  in 
haler  and  calmly  leveled  it  at  her  head.  "It 
looked  very  much  like  a  pistol  in  the  dark 
ness,"  he  said,  "and  it  deserves  a  place 
among  the  cherished  relics  descending  from 
our  romance." 

The  next  night  two  happy,  contented 
persons  sat  in  a  brilliant  Chicago  theatre, 
and  there  was  nothing  in  their  appearance 
to  indicate  that  the  day  and  night  before 
had  been  the  most  strenuous  in  their  lives. 

"This   is  more  comfortable  than  a  cross 
beam  in  a  barn,"  she  smiled. 
.  "But  it  is  more  public,"  he  responded. 

Three  months  later — but  Crosby  won 
both  suits. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 


PS 

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